Of The Lion Who Grew Scales
by The Deadly Bunny
Summary: After Ginny gets expelled in 5th year and returns next year, she gets sorted again. Things don't quite work out like people expected them to... Ginny/Hermione Currently undergoing revision, edited chapter 1 is up
1. Chapter 1

**Whoo boy, here I go again. Hello, folks!**

**This is my first fanfiction which I began writing quite a few years ago, thinking it was the pinnacle of my work and that I could never get better. A friend recently inspired me to read it again and I realised that there was MUCH to be improved on. So that's what I'm doing! The story is currently undergoing revision and I will be uploading edited chapters over time. Now, onto the story!**

**This is set in the Golden Trio's 7th year, in a world where Pettigrew was captured and sentenced, which led to Lord Voldemort never being resurrected. The kids are just a bunch of normal, hormonal teenagers, yay!**

**Also, Harry Potter obviously isn't mine, it belongs to the godess J.K. Rowling. Enjoy the story!**

* * *

><p>A resounding 'pop' echoed in the silence of the countryside, scaring the chickens scattered around the front yard into fearful clucking and announcing the arrival of a visitor. A light wind picked up the hem of the baby blue summer dress the girl was wearing, which caused her to quickly grip the fabric and push it back down onto its resting place just above her knees. Hermione had never been a big fan of skirts, thought them to be horribly impractical if one planned on doing anything other than standing around and looking pretty. She did make exceptions for dresses she was fond of, though, or for very hot days such as that Saturday.<p>

Despite the wind having let up, Hermione was still gripping the hem of her dress with enough strength to turn her knuckles a ghostly white, a gesture that revealed how uncomfortable she felt. For years on end, the Burrow had been a place to relax and have fun; she'd reconnect with the boys that she hadn't seen all summer and lounge around the lake with Ginny. Now the sight of the asymmetric house sent a shiver of dread instead of excitement down her spine.

After the mess that had been the end of their sixth year, all Hermione had wanted was some time away from the worries, to just relax and not think about anything. She spent a great deal of the summer exploring the cities, ruins and beaches around South Italy with her parents. She returned home feeling more rested and energised than she had in many years, but it didn't last long. A letter from Molly Weasley served to shatter that inner balance, politely insisting that she come spend some time at the Burrow before school starts up again. She put off the visit for as long as she could, citing the summer homework that she had completed all the way back in June as the reason, but in time she ran out of plausible excuses. And so she now found herself facing the Burrow and a week with its inhabitants before the new term started.

She had been dreading this visit for two reasons: Ron and Ginny.

Ron had finally mustered up the courage to ask her out the previous year and at first Hermione'd been ecstatic. She had fancied him for as long as she could remember and dating her long-time crush was a dream come true. Only not really, as she realised. Things quickly went downhill and the dream turned into a nightmare that left Hermione constantly stressed and on edge. The tension exploded between them on the train ride home and Hermione hadn't spoken to Ron since, which also left her with the question of where they stood after the row. However, having had a whole summer to process the events and think about them, she was quite sure she was ready to tackle the situation.

The other person she was worried about: Ginny. That was a much more complex situation than the one with Ron, in Hermione's opinion. The younger girl had been expelled a month before the school year's end and had cut her off completely. They had become very close friends throughout the last year, but after Ginny left school she didn't reply to a single worried letter that Hermione had sent. She had no idea what kind of situation she was going to walk into as far as the redhead was concerned and that scared her. Hermione could deal with emotional stuff, that is, if she had time to prepare beforehand. But one can't prepare for what they don't know.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, Hermione unclenched her fingers and let the poor, now slightly crumpled dress go. She wasn't a little girl anymore and she was determined to stop avoiding her problems and rather face them head on. With this thought strengthening her resolve, Hermione picked up her school trunk - charmed to be light as a feather, of course - and made her way to the door.

She had chosen to arrive mid afternoon, which would give her enough time to prepare herself before she had to deal with the stressful situation that was dinner at the Weasleys', having avoided lunch already. It was currently around 4 o'clock, which meant that everyone would be scattered around the house.

Seeing as the chickens went completely berserk when she apparated in, it was no surprise that Molly was waiting for her right behind the door, alerted to her presence. Despite being pulled into a bone-crushing hug right off the bat, Hermione noticed the shock shining clearly in the older woman's eyes at the picture she made.

"My, Hermione, don't you look lovely! I don't think I've ever seen you in a dress, it suits you very much..." She reached out and tugged on the hem a little bit, as if she was trying to bring the fabric below her knees. Hermione shifted, slightly uncomfortable. She didn't think the dress was in any way inappropriate, in fact her mother had picked it, which prompted her to push Molly's hand away.

"Thank you Miss Weasley, my mother loved it when she saw it in the shop," she remarked, pointing out that her own parent clearly didn't have any issues with it. "Never mind that, dear! What on Earth happened to your hair? Did you have an accident?"

Now Hermione's apprehension morphed into confusion as she ran a hand through her pixie cut. "No? I just went to the hairdresser's recently... Does it look bad?" Her old insecurities flared for a moment. Chopping off most of her hair had been quite a brave move and despite not regretting it at all, it made her a quite a bit self conscious.

"Well, no, dear, of course it looks lovely, it's just a bit unusual. Short hair is usually for boys, and I wouldn't have thought a young lady like you would have wanted to... Well, it just raises some questions, dear. I'm sure it's different in the muggle world, don't worry about it. Would you like something to eat? We have some leftovers from lunch, I can heat them up for you in a second..."

Having not been in a particularly good mood in the first place, Hermione had absolutely no appetite after that greeting. "Actually, I'm good Miss Weasley, but thank you for the kind offer. Where is everyone?"

Molly gave her a clearly disapproving look but didn't argue the point. "The boys are out back and Ginny... well, she should be somewhere around. If you find her tell her that I want to speak with her immediately, please." With that she walked back into the kitchen to continue with what she had been doing before Hermione arrived.

Clearly having been dismissed, Hermione made her way up three flights of stairs to drop off her things in Ginny's room. After Miss Weasley's answer, she presumed that the other girl wasn't in her room but knocked anyway just to make sure. As expected, there was no answer, so she strode through the door and then froze in the centre of the room after fully taking it in.

Her friend had never been the tidiest person and she was used to entering a room that looked like a bomb had exploded in it. The bedroom she was currently in was so clean and impersonal that it barely looked lived in. No clothes lying around, no books, papers, pens, anything, really, that would indicate Ginny spent her time in here. The bed was made too, and Hermione didn't quite know what to think.

Having no knowledge of what the girl's life had been like after she was expelled, she had prepared not to expect the exact same Ginny she had known before. But seeing the state the room was in, Hermione became worried if she would recognise the girl at all.


	2. Chapter 2

**New and improved version of chapter 2, here for your enjoyment :D**

After discerning that none of her friends were in the house, Hermione headed out to the backyard. On the one hand, she was curious how the boys would react to her, having not heard anything from her for the whole summer, but on the other, she was a bit apprehensive. Miss Weasley most certainly hadn't been very receptive to the physical changes.

Stepping out of the house, she was met with a rather common sight at the Burrow; four boys zipping around in the air, passing around a quaffle and trying to score through one of the hoops of shiny light hovering on each far end of the backyard. The hoops were an addition of the last few years, since the twins were able to cast magic freely. Before that, they had just drawn the edges of the hoops' location in the dirt on the floor. Not surprisingly, that had resulted in countless fights regarding whether someone had really scored or not.

"Hermione!"

The twins spotted her standing off to the side first and zoomed down to her, enveloping her in a not-entirely-appropriate hug, in response to which she swatted their hands away with a laugh. "Well you two are still randy bastards, I see. What would Angelina say, Fred?"

"I just can't help myself, Hermione, you look irresistible. I love the new hair!" The twin in question didn't look in the slightest bit apologetic and she couldn't help another wide smile in response. That smile faltered, however, when her eyes landed on the two boys that had joined them in the meantime. Harry looked a bit awkward, but happy to see her, whereas Ron's eyes were swirling with anger at the exchange he had just witnessed.

_I'll need to take care of this soon._

Harry very briefly hugged her, but his eyes lit up with laughter when she pulled him in and crushed him to her. "I missed you, you dork! You owe me a proper hug after the whole summer apart, wouldn't you say?" She tried to ignore Ron's death glare aimed at her right over his best friend's shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Holidays look good on you, Hermione. Want to go inside for some lemonade and catch up?" He seemed carefree and was either ignoring or oblivious to the tension between her and Ron that was growing by the second.

"Later maybe. Miss Weasley asked me to find Ginny; do any of you know where she might be?"

It was extremely disconcerting to see how quickly the smiles dropped off their faces. They exchanged a few uncomfortable looks before George spoke up. "She's probably flying out in the field."

Hermione was silent for a few moments, trying to decide if it was in walking distance or not, which the boys mistook for confusion. "Do you need someone to show you the way?" George kindly offered, but Ron quickly jumped in. "Well obviously she does, so let's all savour the moment when the know-it-all actually doesn't know something."

Everyone turned shocked expressions on Ron, clearly not having expected such animosity, except for Harry who just looked resigned.

"Actually, Ron, I do know where it is. Would one of you lend me a broom? I find myself suddenly wanting to leave this company as soon as possible." She and Ron were now locked in a glaring match which was interrupted by Harry offering her his Firebolt. "Thank you so much. It's reassuring to know some people still have manners."

Without further ado, she straddled the broom and kicked off, not wanting to show the boys how scared she was at the moment. She would **not** give Ron the pleasure. When she was out of sight, hidden by the house, Hermione allowed her proud posture to slump and hands to grip onto the handle like her life depended on it, slowing down almost to a walking pace.

She had certainly not expected such hostility from Ron and to have flying added to that made the usually nerve-wracking experience downright terrifying for Hermione. _Why do I still let him get to me like that? I'm better than this. _Taking deep, calming breaths, she managed to slow down her heart back to a normal pace and resumed flying towards her destination at a more efficient speed.

Hermione knew what the so- called 'field' was supposed to be, but she'd never been, so it took some time before she found it. It was a relatively big grassy clearing in the middle of the sparse forest near the Burrow, with three wooden hoops on each side; a homemade Quidditch field. Even though it wasn't far away, the Weasleys only used it when the oldest two brothers were home, enabling them to make proper teams. The backyard was big enough otherwise.

As George had predicted, Ginny was there, her shirt drenched with sweat, alerting Hermione that the girl must have been flying in the scorching sun for quite some time. Instead of calling out immediately, she hovered by the side and just watched her work. She was zooming through the air on her broom, doing manoeuvres that looked impressive even to Hermione, who honestly couldn't care less about Quidditch. Ginny moved with the ease and grace of a bird in the air and it looked mesmerizing. Hermione had only ever seen flying like that that at the final of the World Cup in her fourth year.

After a minute or two, she decided that she'd done quite enough creeping for the day and called out to Ginny. Startled, the girl whipped her head around and stopped in the middle of her exercise. She flew closer but immediately ground to a halt when she was close enough to talk her visitor, surprise written all over her face.

"Hermione? Wow, I didn't even recognise you from afar. You look... different." Her eyes were roaming over her, taking in all the changes in appearance. Ginny lingered on the short hair, but then continued on to take in her long, tanned legs exposed by the dress that had ridden up quite high due to riding the broom. The younger girl's cheeks reddened with the signature Weasley blush with the realisation of just how much she was ogling her friend.

Her eyes returning to Hermione's face and noticing a slightly annoyed expression, she quickly elaborated. "Different in a very good way, Hermione. The hair looks amazing, but I have to tell you, you have some balls. People will ask questions, you know? Wizards can be kind of old fashioned like that."

"Tell me about it. Your mother had to practically pick her jaw up off the floor when she saw me before not so subtly implying that I look like a lesbian. Thanks a bunch!" Her face was split by a big grin though, betraying that she was in fact in high spirits, happy to be seeing her friend again.

"I know, she can be so old-fashioned. Believe me, it's not easy being her daughter, and the boys have it way easier. But on another note, am I seeing things or are you really flying right now?"

The sound that Hermione produced in reply was a mix of a cough and a high pitched, nervous laugh, as if she just now remembered that they were still in the air. "Uh,okay, could we land, actually? I'm not really comfortable right now." She looked much more confident when her feet were firmly on the ground. "But yes, I had to escape your brother as fast as possible. If looks could kill..."

The mention of her family had an immediate visual effect on Ginny, as her smile fell and the sparkle in her eyes died. "What, trouble in paradise?" She had fallen into her comfort zone talking to Hermione, but she now reminded herself why she had started estranging the girl in the first place. She was dating Ron and was Harry's long time best friend. Those two would always come first for her and Ginny wasn't ready to accept that. Better to cut all ties instead of setting herself up for another hurt. Hermione was too easy to talk to, so Ginny would have to force herself to not get reattached to the girl she spent all summer effectively distancing herself away from.

"Are you serious? We haven't talked all summer and I plan on ending it for good as soon as we get a chance to talk things through." Ginny's brows furrowed, the information completely new to her. She couldn't help herself, she had to ask.

"How come? He hasn't said anything and everyone always thought you two would end up married and with a bunch of ginger brats." Hermione's expression darkened and her mouth reacted before her brain. "Well, everyone thought that about you and Harry too, and we know how that turned out."

The moment the words left her mouth, Hermione knew she had screwed up bad. Ginny's look became charged with so much hatred that she wanted to shrink away at its intensity. She should **not **have mentioned Harry.

Thing was, at the end of last year Ginny had taken it upon herself to organise the celebration for their Quidditch cup win. Her goal had been for Harry to realise how adult she was by planning a party that would be talked about for ages and making him notice her as something other than just his friend's little sister. All was well until sometime around midnight, when a very drunk Ginny approached the hero of the day and was unceremoniously rejected. He hadn't been trying to be mean, he just genuinely wasn't interested in her and, devastated, she ran out of the common room.

In a stroke of fabulous luck, none other than Professor Snape rounded that exact corner and caught a drunk, crying Gryffindor out of bed, hours after curfew. Filled with glee, he basically dragged her to McGonagall's office, where he handed her over to the groggy professor who'd just been awoken in the middle of the night. Things really took a turn for the worse from that moment on, when the Head of House entered the common room and faced the absolute chaos that reigned within. Seeing as she couldn't exactly expel everyone from the fourth year up, she searched for the instigator and quickly found her after a few drunken fingers had been pointed to the cowering girl at her side. Upon seeing that, the Ginny promptly puked on Minerva's night slippers for good measure.

Needless to say, she was expelled the very next day and her parents were beyond furious when they were notified to come pick her up. Ginny's story quickly became Hogwarts' hottest gossip and, even if she hadn't been expelled, the pressure would have probably been too much for the girl to bear. Now, Harry was an obvious sore spot, and it was clear Ginny blamed him for the events of that night ultimately resulting in her expulsion.

"I'm sorry, let's just forget I brought him up." But the girl's answering silence and the cold glint in her eyes told her Hermione that she might have just caused damage that would be very hard to repair.

"You interrupted my practice and I still have a few routines to go over. I think I should return to that now." That was as clear a dismissal as she could get, but Hermione, now grasping for straws, remembered Miss Weasley's request.

"Actually, your mother wanted to talk to you as soon as possible, she sent me to tell you." She'd expected a sigh, an eye roll, but still compliance with her mother's wish, and was therefore very surprised when Ginny simply raised an eyebrow.

"So? She's waited so long, I'm sure she can wait a bit longer. You can leave now, Hermione." With that, she kicked off and flew back towards the hoops.

She stared at her retreating back, mind running a hundred miles per hour. It had not been particularly obvious at first, but Hermione realised now that Ginny was a very changed girl. Gone was her good-natured, trusting personality and she was scared to discover what had been left in their wake.


	3. Chapter 3

The dinner was one of the more unpleasant meals she had experienced in the household through all her years. Even though the twins attempted to make the atmosphere lighter with a few jokes, they soon stopped trying seeing that they had no effect on the gathered people.

Sure, the food was delicious as was expected since Molly was cooking, but even the exceptional flavours rolling over her taste buds did nothing to lift Hermione's spirits. As was usual for her, she spent the rest of the afternoon catching the sun's rays and thinking about the situation with Ginny from every perspective she could think of. She didn't really have much to go on, which made the whole process harder, but in the end she drew a conclusion that seemed very sensible to her.

Ginny was an emotional wreck, that much was obvious. She felt betrayed by the people she had thought her friends for many years on end, but most importantly, she was facing the reality of the fact that the boy she believed to be her true love since she was a little girl wasn't interested in her the slightest bit. To him, she'd always be his best friend's little sister. Hermione realised that the redhead was most probably having an identity crisis - the foundations of her sense of self were shaken up and she was reinventing herself. The older girl wasn't so sure that she liked that - or the person her friend was becoming.

But if Ginny didn't want to talk to her she could hardly do anything to help her out of the downward spiral. As they finished dinner and slowly got up to head to their respective rooms, Hermione's legs took her to the redhead's room of their own volition, as she always stayed with the younger Gryffindor when she was at the Burrow. Upon opening the door to the impersonal room, she was faced with a suprised Ginny. "Excuse me, what the fuck are you doing here?" Shocked by the strong language the younger girl used to use so rarely, she stumbled over her reply. "I-i'm sorry, I thought I was staying here?" Levelling her with a cold stare, the redhead just lifted an eyebrow. In another situation, it would have been sexy. "You sure as hell aren't. You can use the twins' room. They have their own flat above the store," she dismissed her and turned back to her previous occupation, which was lounging on the bed and reading a book on potions. Stammering another sorry, Hermione closed the door and headed to the stairs to get to the room she'd apparently be staying in. She was surprised to realise she could barely hold back tears.

When Ginny had been rude and snarky on the pitch, she had thought that maybe that was her way of dealing with things. She was confident that when they would be sharing a room and the younger girl would grow accustomed to her presence once more, she would open up and Hermione would be able to fix this whole mess. The fact that the redhead dismissed her so easily hurt like a bitch, not to mention the deep sense of uselessness she was feeling.

She dragged herself up to the twins' room and angrily wiped the lone tear that had slipped down her cheek. _I won't cry about it like a little girl, damn it!_ Refusing to let despair take over, Hermione went to sleep with thoughts of getting close to Ginny on her mind.

* * *

><p>Despite Hermione's best efforts through the next few days, she couldn't get an inch closer to the redhead. The latter seemed to take some newfound delight in replying to everyone's questions with antagonistic remarks, which was slowly driving the whole house mad. In fact, the only time you really saw Ginny smile was when she shut someone down with a comment so dripping with sarcasm that it was actually gathering in a puddle on the floor - and even those rare smiles weren't of the pleasant kind.<p>

After an especially nasty verbal sparring on the corridor, Hermione was gloomily heading to breakfast, thinking of how well the used-to-be Gryffindor would fit in with the Slytherin crowd. The little pile of letters lying on the table served to lighten her mood some. "The Hogwarts letters arrived!" Her shout was loud enough that it reached the top floor and she was sure that if she could, she'd be hearing the boys' sleepy groans right now. Not that she cared at the moment.

When she took the envelope addressed to her name and started slowly tearing it open, her excitement was bubbling to higher and higher levels. The moment of truth, she got it or she didn't. She couldn't wait anymore and Hermione covered her eyes with one hand while she turned the envelope with the other and shook. Upon hearing the telltale clink of something metal against the wood, she let out a hysterical scream and grabbed the object, patience forgotten. "Oh my god," was the unbelieving whisper she let out while gently holding the badge.

Harry came stomping down the stairs in the next instant, wand in hand and shirtless, an alert look in his eyes, but all he saw was his friend, smiling from ear to ear. "Why the hell did you scream like that, you crazy woman?" he sighed, realising they weren't in any danger. In answer, she held up her new badge. "I made Head Girl, Harry." Her smile now infecting him, too, he hugged the brunette and spun her around. "That's great, Hermione! I knew you could do it! You know you're perfect for this job, right?" Giggling at him to let her go, she encouraged him to open his own envelope. Even though she was aware the Head Boy and Girl were traditionally from different houses, she couldn't help but hope that maybe they'd made an exception in his case. Deep down though, she knew he was too much of a troublemaker for that - he hadn't even gotten a Prefect badge, after all.

What he did get though was the Quidditch captain title and another round of hugging and congratulations followed before they took seats at the table and looked at everything else that was in their letters. While they read over their book lists Molly entered the kitchen with a basket full of freshly picked vegetables for lunch and eyed the two teens with an amused twinkle in her eyes, thinking of her own school days. Still smiling, she pointed out to the boy that he wasn't wearing a shirt, which brought a lovely blush to his face while he raced back up the stairs. Turning to the stove to start on the breakfast, Molly now posed a question to Hermione. "Anything interesting in that letter of yours?" Happily, the girl in question waltzed up to the woman and gave her a big tight hug before showing her her shiny new badge. After the congratulations, the eggs were already done and the brunette sat back to the table to enjoy them.

After a few minutes, the woman's youngest son came into the kitchen accompanied by Harry as well and was bombarded with the good news, finding out that he too got an extra badge, keeping his Prefect status. They chatted excitedly over breakfast, certain disagreements temporarily forgotten and decided that they would get their books from the alley the very same day.

Sticking to the plan, they were all gathered by the fireplace in a half an hour and floo'd one by one to Flourish and Blotts.

* * *

><p><strong>I want to thank everyone who reviewed, followed or favorited this story; you guys give me the drive to keep writing this. Now, if you find any grammatical mistakes, please point them out to me so that i can correct them, since this story does not have a beta. Bunny out.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

There was only one day left before the teens would board the train to Hogwarts and Hermione knew she couldn't put it off anymore. Despite the fabulous job she did of avoiding this talk for the past week and a half, the brunette still realised it needed to be done. She was sick and tired of not knowing how to act around Ron when her hands were already full with Ginny anyway.

Mentally convincing herself that it really was necessary, she rapped gently on the boy's door. Inside the room she found both of the best friends and kindly asked for Harry to leave them to talk alone. The uncomfortable looks on the golden trio's faces all gave out their feelings, but the green-eyed boy left the room without complaints. Taking a seat on the bed, Hermione fiddled with the hem of her dress, contemplating how to breach this subject.

"Sooo, Ron... I understand that things have been tense between us for some time now and I want to fix that. I really valued your friendship and I'd like to have it back, but we can't go there until we talk things out." She gave a nervous laugh before she ploughed on, knowing that it'd be easier to get it all out in one shot. "Last year didn't end all that well for us... I know it's been almost three months, but we still haven't talked about what that meant for us..." Raising her eyes to Ron's blue ones, she just didn't feel the same warm tingle that she used to, the feeling replaced by a cold void where her feelings for the redheaded boy used to lay. "I think we've been over for a while now and we both know it, Ron."

She was surprised that he hadn't interrupted her sometime in the middle of her speech, but now she really wanted him to say something and yet he still stayed silent. It was quite unnerving.

"Is there someone else?" The boy's words were spoken quietly, but knowing him, that tone meant there was a simmering pool of white hot anger just underneath. She was appalled by his suggestion and barely reined her own temper in when she replied him, although her shock was clearly evident in the way she spoke. "How dare you! You really think I'd go behind your back and cheat? Do you really think that low of me, Ron?" Her voice had become choked and shaky about halfway through - the stress, piled up from days of silently dealing with Ginny's behaviour finally hit straight home. "Accusing me of unfaithfulness, when it was you who doomed this relationship! You were the one who kept wanting more and more, instead of waiting for me to be ready to give those things freely! You think I didn't try to make it work? I can't believe you, you stupid...freckled...Aargh! For god's sake, I can't even insult you properly!"

With a strangled cry of frustration she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her as she rushed to find refuge in the twins' room. It seemed that her arguments with Ron would always end up like this, even though this time he - surprisingly, might she add - actually hadn't shouted back at her.

As soon as the door of her sleeping quarters was firmly closed, she dissolved into tears, seeing no point in trying to hold them back. She'd had romantic feelings for Ron for so long that it was hard to take in that this chapter of her life was really over. There was no denying that the only things she felt for him right now were anger and remorse - she really had wanted them to work, after all.

After a while, the tears stopped coming and Hermione was right down exhausted. Even though it was barely 7 o'clock in the evening she just curled up on the bed and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>Hermione woke up extremely early the next day. It was just after dawn, which meant it had to be somewhere between 5 and 6 a.m. After calculating that she'd slept for almost ten hours, she thought it no wonder that she felt invigorated, refreshed and more relaxed than she had in a long while. Even though she wanted to deny it to herself at first, she had to admit that she was feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off her. She had finally talked to Ron (never mind the fact that they didn't actually solve anything) and as far as Hermione was concerned, she had done her part of the talking. When Weasley was ready to come and apologise, then they could talk some more. If that never happened... Well, it would just further prove the point that they didn't work together.<p>

The brunette got up with ease and stretched her limbs, but then she realised a tiny thing. In all the excitement of last evening, she had completely forgotten to pack. _God bless you, magic._ Having already turned 17 the last autumn (she was, after all, almost a whole year older than Harry), she could cast freely and therefore had all her things neatly stacked in the trunk in under 20 minutes. She took a quiet trip to the bathroom to make herself at least semi- presentable and came out another half an hour later.

During the summer, the witch had thought a lot about her future, as she would after all be starting her last year of school, and had come to some conclusions. She was tired of living according to other people's expectations and needed to start doing things because she wanted to, not because she was expected to. One of the big changes which followed that decision was the change in her appearance. She had cut her hair to a short pixie hairstyle and added a few dresses to her wardrobe. The brunette was extremely curious to see people react to her new look, seeing as the Weasleys just told her that she'd look good no matter what she decided to wear. She was both proud and satisfied with her decision, especially the haircut - it made mornings sooo much easier.

Donning a pretty blue dress, she basically hopped down the stairs, a beautiful smile lighting up her face. It was a day for happiness and she felt great anyway, the mouth-watering scent flowing out of the kitchen only strengthening that. Molly was already busy at work, cooking up a feast to give them a nice send-off and Hermione was happy to offer her help to the woman. Getting tasked with preparing the table, the brunette got on with it and chatted excitedly while she did so. "A lovely day, isn't it? Too bad we're leaving; otherwise it would surely be perfect for a bit of sunbathing. Oh my God Molly, this smells amazing!" the girl exclaimed while leaning over to get to the cutlery before getting back to the table, even humming a cheerful tune to herself.

The Weasley woman couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, I see someone is excited to go back to school..." Hermione simply shot her a gleaming smile and put the last plate in its rightful place. "Well, of course! Why wouldn't I be?"

After breakfast, things at the Weasley household got hectic. People were running around the house, packing their final necessities and screaming at each other. It was a yearly ritual, really. In complete contrast to the chaos reigning in the Burrow, the brunette was sitting calmly on a sofa in the living room and reading a book on healing spells. She was completely oblivious to the things happening around her. She didn't have to worry anyway, since she, Harry and Ron would be apparating to King's Cross, which meant they could have almost another hour and a half more than usual before leaving. She didn't mind spending it reading in the least.

* * *

><p><strong>Again, huge hugs to everyone who followed, favorited or reviewed this story. It means a lot to me that people are even reading it, the thought of someone actually liking it is too abstract for me to process just yet... I hope you like this next installment! Oh, I'd also like to say that although I have been updating a lot up till now, I can't promise anything about the frequency of my updates, since i am not that kind of writer who always has one or two chapters already written up. I write this as i go. Anyway, enough of my rambling! Bunny out.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**In case it might be confusing to some of you, this following chapter is written from Ginny's point of view. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Ginny couldn't sleep. She'd been up half the night worrying herself into madness, until she finally managed to get two, maybe three hours of rest. Now she was awake again and there was no way she could go back to sleep this time.<p>

A million thoughts were running through her head as she made to slowly get up. Today, she would have to face the schoolmates who had so shamelessly given her up. So much about Gryffindor loyalty, eh? When good ol' McGonagall wanted them to point a finger, they willingly did so. Their own pretty asses came first, naturally.

Thoughts like this one and many more had plagued the redhead's mind through the whole summer. She had grown to be more bitter and cynical than any girl her age should be, which showed greatly in her attitude. Ginny simply couldn't bring herself to trust anyone anymore and developed a mechanism to keep people at arm's length. She just didn't care if they hated her for it.

Instead, her main focus through the summer had become Quidditch. She wasn't a bad student and she really excelled in some classes, but mostly, she was average. What she wasn't average at, though, was flying, and she made sure this summer that she crossed the line from good to amazing. The career of a professional Quidditch player appealed very much to her.

As the girl descended the stairs to get some breakfast, she could feel the dread in her guts. She hadn't even realised up till now how afraid she was of going back to school and facing her used-to-be friends. There was no helping it though, since she had to at least finish the sixth year before she could decide to quit Hogwarts. Resigned to her fate, she quickly ate a small breakfast as to not run into any other early risers before holing up in her room until it was time to go.

As usual, she and her mother had to use muggle means of transportation to get to King's Cross, just as well as they arrived on platform 9 3/4 only five minutes before eleven. Typical.

Molly suddenly burst into tears and hugged her daughter close to her breast, telling her to take care and that they all love her, no matter how mean she had been to them over the holidays. At that, Ginny felt a pang of regret. "I promise I'll take care, mom. Don't you worry," she awkwardly tried to console the weeping woman and then squeezed out of her embrace. "I really have to go now, though. Bye." With those words, she rushed to get on the train as the last calls for boarding resonated on the platform.

A sole minute later, they began to move. King's Cross disappeared from sight and was soon replaced by grassy fields, while Ginny was slowly moving down the hall, trying to find an empty compartment. The sinking feeling in her guts was now stronger than ever, intensifying with every familiar face she spotted on the crowded train. Those who recognised her as well mostly adopted shocked expressions upon seeing her.

She finally realised that there was no way she'd be able to find an empty compartment, so she opted for one that was occupied by two kids that looked like they were first years. If nothing else, she'd at least be able to intimidate them into leaving her alone. She couldn't exactly do that with older students, after all.

Getting out the headphones she kept in her pocket, she plugged them into her iPod and leaned her head on the window, completely ignoring the fearful looking pair that shared her compartment. If she even spared them a glance, she would have probably dissolved into laughter. The boy and girl were literally frozen in their spots.

The two first years forgot about her presence after a while and resumed their chat, although she couldn't hear it over the music in her ears. About two hours later, the trolley lady came knocking on their door. She pressed stop on her iPod and got up to buy a few sweets to sustain her on the journey. The old woman soon moved on and Ginny returned to her seat but decided against going back to music. Instead, she got a book from her trunk and made herself comfortable.

* * *

><p>Reading about potions, hours simply flew by for the redhead. Besides Quidditch, it was what she was by far best at and the fact that Snape was a compete jerk just made it more challenging for her. Before she knew it, the train started slowing down and with growing dread the girl got up and exited the compartment. The corridors were full of students chatting excitedly while moving towards the exit and the redhead let her hair cover her face, trying to blend with the crowd. She had gotten used to solitude and the sight of so many people - especially people who she knew would judge her – unnerved her greatly.<p>

The thick crowd moved with the speed of a snail, but she somehow managed to get off the train and onto the carriages without any incidents. The ride up to the castle, in comparison to the train journey, seemed to last forever in Ginny's perspective. The carriage she was in was shared with her by a small group of girls who looked to be a year or two younger than her and kept whispering and sending glances in her direction. Growing less anxious and more annoyed by the second, she at first scowled at them, but when it didn't work had to actually speak up. "Either you say whatever you're whispering about to my face or shut the hell up," she hissed at the one who looked like the leader of their little group. Startled, the blonde jumped a little, but quickly returned her a defiant stare. "You're Ginny Weasley. Your expulsion was all over the school last year. How did you manage to get back in?"

With a disgusted glance at the girl's robes, the redhead noticed the red and gold tie of Gryffindor. "None of your fucking business, goldilocks," she spat back at her and crossed her arms over her chest. After seeing the blonde's colours, she really didn't want her to have some more gossip material if she noticed that her tie was black. Apparently, she didn't belong to any House anymore. She hadn't thought about it before, but now the seed was planted.

When first years came to Hogwarts, their uniforms all looked the same, but when they were sorted, the clothes magically adopted the corresponding House's colours. When she put the robes on on the train, she didn't pay much attention to it, but now she was really curious. The redhead had, after all, been of the opinion the Headmaster would simply put her back in her vacated spot. The more she thought about it though, the more it seemed that would not be the case.

The foursome of meddling girls left her alone after that, although they of course didn't stop talking about her in hushed voices. She was just stepping through the majestic front doors of Hogwarts when a bony hand firmly grasped her shoulder. It was none other than professor McGonagall. "If you'd be so kind as to come with me, Miss Weasley." Without waiting for a reply, the dignified woman turned on her heels and walked off in the opposite direction of the Great Hall. After a few minutes of silence, they reached her office. "After you."

Ginny stepped into the room that looked exactly the same as she remembered it and patiently waited for McGonagall to tell her what was going on. Instead, her ex head of house motioned towards the desk where lay none other than the Sorting Hat. "Excuse me?" she politely enquired, but the older woman sighed in a manner that clearly depicted her annoyance. "You know how the process goes, Miss Weasley. Put the hat on and it will decide which House you belong to. You can be thankful that the Headmaster has given you the option to do this in private. I imagine you being sorted in front of the whole school would have been quite the scandal." The redhead shook herself out of the shock induced stupor and cautiously approached the hat. _Here goes nothing..._ Gently gripping the fabric, she lifted the battered piece of cloth to her head and let go.

_Well, well, isn't this a surprise. I thought I was done with you Weasleys for good, but I guess I was wrong. And not just another Weasley but one I had already sorted? My, my... Well, it's a relief to get to look inside the head of a witch with an actual intellect... Sorting first years can get quite tiring, you know? And I have a whole new batch to go over in a half an hour... Oh, excuse me Miss, I got slightly carried away. Let's see here, shall we? _After that, a silence followed and Ginny was getting more anxious by the minute. What the hell was taking so long? Didn't it just have to shout Gryffindor and be done with it? Just as she was about to tell it to hurry up, the hat spoke again and her words died in her throat. _I can't believe this, but it must be... "_SLYTHERIN!"


	6. Chapter 6

**I am fully aware that I took quite a bit longer to update this time, but school has been a bitch lately. An update per week is probably a much more realistic schedule.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the next installment and hopefully, you will let me know what you think too via review! Well, that's what I keep dreaming of, anyway. Bunny out ;D**

* * *

><p>The ride to school flew by with lightning speed for Hermione. Unlike the previous years, her presence was required in the Prefects' compartment immediately. She said her goodbyes to Ron and Harry, then headed for the very front of the train.<p>

Upon arriving there, the richly furnished room was still empty. She put her things down in one corner and immersed herself in the numerous pages laid out on the table that occupied most of the space. They were mostly pointers and directions, or reminders to set up patrol schedules and such. She heard the door slide open and turned excitedly to greet her work partner. "H-" She choked on her words and the hand she was about to offer in greeting fell limply by her side.

Malfoy had made Head Boy. _Malfoy! Who the hell came up with that brilliant idea?_ She had to begrudgingly admit that he had been an exemplary Prefect for the last two years, but that didn't mean he should be trusted with that kind of power! Who knew how he was going to abuse it!

She did have to admit though; the blonde looked quite stunned himself. Surely it didn't come as such a surprise to him that she would have gotten the position? Hermione questioned his speechlessness, but then she noticed his steely eyes slowly moving downwards, scanning her appearance. _Oh, that._ Suddenly feeling a bit warm in the face, the brunette pulled the robe tighter to herself, not used to such scrutiny.

A smirk that could only be described as Malfoyesque slowly spread across his face and he mockingly held out a hand to her. "Well, Granger, wish I could say I was surprised. Only, I'm not." With a stubborn look on her face, she took and shook his hand, choosing to be the bigger person. They were both adults who would need to work together for most of the year; she could at least try to be civil and hope he would reciprocate. "Yes, well, the achievements of some people speak for themselves. I don't believe there was much competition for my spot. Yours, though... Who did daddy pay off to get you here?"

The barb slipped out before she was even aware of it and Hermione cursed in her mind. _So much for being civil..._ It was just too easy to fall back into old patterns when it came to Malfoy. He cringed slightly, but his face remained impassive. "Well, Granger, if you ever paid any attention to someone other than yourself, you'd know that my academic achievements come in second to yours." He gave her a smile that was anything but pleasant before he finally moved further into the room. "Now you can stop being childish, we have work to do."

_Me, childish?! The little bastard, I'm gonna..._ Hermione realised in a second this was exactly the reaction he was hoping to induce, which is why she forcefully calmed herself and stepped to the table by his side. Taking deep breaths to ensure she didn't let herself become too irritated again, the brunette committed fully to examining the documents laid out and talking them over with Malfoy.

Almost an hour later, the prefects finally started filtering into the room and took seats around the vast table. The blonde and the brunette had used their time to go over all the instructions given to them and splitting the conveying of them to the other prefects in half. When everyone was gathered, the boy was first up. "I'm going to skip straight to the point, because we all need to start patrolling the train very soon. There are a few things the Head Girl and I would like to tell you..." He motioned with his head for Hermione to come stand by his side and curiously, she did so, more than slightly surprised by his change of demeanour when he wasn't dealing with her or one of her two friends. "Yes, Malfoy is quite right," she picked up where he left off. "Besides the few of you who are new to this position this year, most of you have been prefects last year or even the year before. Your duties are simple; once we all get our class schedules, a patrol chart will be written up and unless an emergency comes up, you are required to patrol on the days that you were assigned. Furthermore, you should be friendly and open to any questions or problems students might come to you with, just as you should inform one of us or a teacher if something serious is going on. As prefects, you cannot take away points, but you can report any rule breaking behaviour to someone who does. That is really all there is to a prefect position, but disrespecting any of those things can result in the revocation of your status. Any questions?" A quick look around the room and she didn't see any raised hands, which was Malfoy's cue to go on.

"Miss Granger has basically told you all you need to know. Now, first up for patrols are all the fifth years, all you need to do is walk up and down the halls and make sure no one is causing too much trouble. Well, off you go!" The youngest of people gathered in the room left one by one and the space suddenly felt so much roomier. "Now for the finishing touches, the new prefect's bathroom password is Lotus Flower. For your individual house passwords, I will pass it on to the Slytherins and Granger to Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. Sixth years, you are replacing the fledglings in two hours, seventh years after that. And when they announce we are getting to Hogsmeade, get to the doors and make sure no one gets hurt in the crowd."

Lots of shuffling, chair moving and chatter followed that, as the others left, save for Hannah Abbot who came to Hermione for the password to their common room. "It's home sweet home," she smiled while passing the message on and the freckled girl giggled a bit as she too left the room.

Considering her work done for now, the brunette went to the corner of the room where she had left her things and started packing them up to get back to the company of her peers. Turning back around, she was faced with the sight of Malfoy bending over, browsing in his bag. Damn, but the boy had a _good_ ass. Blushing slightly and wondering, when the hell she started appreciating butts, she mumbled a half-assed 'See you later' and exited the compartment.

* * *

><p>Everyone got off the train and on the carriages safe and sound and Hermione only saw the blonde again when she entered the main hall, standing by the side with Flitwick. The girl briefly wondered why McGonagall wasn't here, since she usually handled official matters like this, but didn't pay it much mind. As they were obviously waiting for her, she hurried to get to them.<p>

"Ah, here you are, Miss Granger. Well, we can get this over with very quickly. You are both aware of the whereabouts of the Head dormitory, yes? Good, good. Well, the password is Memento Mori, but you can change it if you like, just talk to the portrait. I'll be off now, bye bye." The vertically challenged professor disappeared in the crowd while Hermione stood there, speechlessly. How could she have forgotten? After she had gotten over the initial shock of the nasty Slytherin being her work partner, she realised that he was able to put their differences aside when it came to duties and she was calmed. The shared living quarters completely slipped her mind.

And then, to top it off, a very familiar redhead walked by, wearing silver and green.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm updating again, which means I am a wonderful person and you should adore me. Well, enjoy your chapter! It's another one from Ginny's perspective. I think I might switch between them regularly! Whatever I decide, you'll see... Bunny out.**

* * *

><p>Damn it, but she really didn't need this. It was scandalous enough that she even came back, a fact which showed itself very clearly on the journey to the castle. But being sorted into Slytherin? That was news of a completely different calibre.<p>

What was she going to do? The snakes' nest didn't exactly rate first when it came to her preferred living conditions. It worried her what the Slytherins might do to her. She was an ex-Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake! And being the nasty pricks they were, she would have to sleep with one eye open.

Immersed in such thoughts, Ginny was slowly making her way to the Great Hall. After the initial shock had worn off, McGonagall rather coldly notified her that she would pass the information on to professor Snape and then instructed her to go get to the hall where everyone else was assembling.

She was just walking through the entrance hall when she heard her name being called. Spinning around, her eyes met Hermione's. The girl looked shocked and a little hurt, and maybe that was due to Malfoy standing right next to her. That was, until Ginny noticed his Head Boy badge and the fact that he was staring at her as well. _Oh, of course. My tie._

They just stood there, shell-shocked, and Ginny was getting more uncomfortable by the minute. "What, is there something in my hair?" she sneered, sick of being scrutinized like that, then turned on her heel and continued on the path she had been taking before. They had no right to judge her like that! It's not like she could have influenced the Hat's decision, for crying out loud! What was done was done and she refused to get all worked up because of it.

The chatter from the tables could already be heard and she was just walking through the door when a hand rested on her shoulder. "Well, well, what do we have here...? A Weasley in Slytherin? Care to explain how that came to be, Freckles?" Malfoy's voice was mocking as usual, but it didn't quite hold that malice it used to as he slowly steered them towards the house table. "It's none of your damn business, Ferret-face." She knew she was being slightly childish, but if he was calling her Freckles, she had all the right in the word to call him names too. "Oh, but I think it is," he brushed off her dismissal. "See, I like to be informed about the things that go on in my House... And right now, Weasley, you are one big mystery that I'd love to solve".

Ginny made a disgusted sound and was about to take a seat at the very end of the table, but the ferret's hand pulled her back up to her feet. "Let me give you a helpful tip, Freckles. In Slytherin, where you sit at the table is extremely important; it shows your social status. Were you to sit at the end, you would immediately establish yourself as the ultimate outsider. I'd rather you don't do that; those spots are reserved for first years. No, you..." He finally let her go and in a seemingly gentlemanly manner gestured for her to take her seat first. "You, Weasley, are sitting right in the middle, next to me."

The redhead didn't know what to think as she sat down. Why the hell was Malfoy, of all people, trying to better her position as an alleged blood traitor in a house that was in a millennia old feud with the one she previously belonged to? It just didn't sit right with her. Giggling at the completely unintended pun she had just made in her mind, the girl nervously righted her skirt. She was too busy with Malfoy to notice the people before, but now she was fully aware that the whole Slytherin table was watching her.

The most unnerving thing was that they weren't even right out staring. Except for the few younger ones with their eyes bulged out, all the older students pretended like her sitting there was old news and now they were simply checking that she behaved like she should. It just wasn't right! If an ex-Slytherin had sat themselves down at the other end of the hall with the lions, wearing their uniform no less, there would be an absolute uproar.

"See? That wasn't so hard," came Malfoy's voice from her right. He too was now sitting and started to chat with a dark-skinned boy opposite of him. Ginny tentatively looked to the left to come eye to eye with Pansy Parkinson. The older girl was watching her with an expression that gave out nothing, before she sighed and let herself smile a little. "Ginny, am I right?" She held out her hand and the redhead took it, flabbergasted. "Yes, and you're Pansy, if I'm not mistaken." She let go and blurted out the thing on her mind. "Not to jinx my first day or anything, but why the hell is everyone treating me nicely? Aren't you supposed to hate me or something?"

The black bob her conversation partner was sporting fell into her eyes as she sighed and muttered something that sounded very much like 'Stupid, stupid Gryffindors'. "Why would I hate you? I know absolutely nothing about you. Despite the popular opinion of our house, we are not all judgemental, conniving pricks, you know." And then Pansy winked and laughed. Probably at the face Ginny must have been making at the moment.

"B-but... **How?! **You all are always so mean to everyone!" This just couldn't be! Pansy Parkinson most definitely was not a decent person! It would defy all the truths of the world! Well, okay, maybe not that, drastic, but it sure seemed to Ginny. _She must be pretending to be nice to me because it's a part of a greater scheme. That explains everything! _The rational part of her was telling her this wasn't possible because she didn't know she would be freshly made Slytherin, but Ginny needed to ignore it for her own sanity's sake.

Pansy only sighed again. "Look, you're one of us now; you'll learn how things work around here sooner or later... If Malfoy thought you could sit in the centre, you can't be that bad, and that's all I needed to know." She winked again, a thing she was apparently fond of doing, and despite her will, the redhead felt a twinge in her stomach. _What the hell? _"Did someone call my name?" the blonde on her right cut in in the next moment and smiled at the pair. "Well, I see you two hit it off well enough. Oh, by the way, Blaise – Ginny, Ginny – Blaise." The darker boy she saw before held out his hand with a dazzling smile and when she took it, he pressed a kiss to the back of her palm. "Dude! What the hell?" He only chuckled and tilted his head as he watched her. "What, a man can't properly greet a beautiful woman like yourself? Chivalry is not entirely dead, you know?"

She couldn't believe this. Not only were all the members of the 'Silver Trio' as some jokingly called them nice to her, but they were making jokes and flirting like this was a completely normal situation. Shouldn't they be insulting the living hell out of her? It went against their identities as Slytherins! It had to...

Apparently, the three weren't disturbed by her lack of responsiveness as they chatted away merrily, Ginny catching a few words about their summers. Thank god that the doors opened in that moment and McGonagall led the first years inside. The girl desperately needed a distraction or her head would seriously explode from all the information. It felt calming to just focus on the names being called, but the redhead couldn't help twitching slightly every time a student was sorted into her new house. Man, this was going to be long year...


	8. Chapter 8

**Ohkaaay. So, I know this update is kind of late and I'm sorry about that, but I have a life. Not going to make excuses though. All I can do is hope that you enjoy this next installment. Be sure to let me know, eh? ;) Bunny out.**

* * *

><p>Even after Malfoy and Ginny disappeared into the Great Hall, Hermione couldn't bring herself to move, for the shock had frozen her in her place. The question of sharing living quarters with the ferret was temporarily overshadowed by the fact that little Ginny Weasley had apparently been sorted into Slytherin. <em>What the hell?<em>

The brunette had no idea the younger girl was even going to be sorted again, but never had she thought she'd see her wearing silver and green. Yes, the redhead had acted like a true snake all summer, but Hermione never thought there was an actual chance of her leaving the lions' den. It was absurd.

Too shocked to really think about it anymore, she just pushed it to the back of her mind and went into the Great Hall herself.

She took her seat at Harry's side in silence and stared at nothing in particular, but the boy obviously noticed. "Hey! Earth to Hermione?" She looked at him with a confused glint in her eyes before her head dropped to the table with a great sigh. "Just leave me to die..." The gloomy mumble didn't deter Harry though, because he playfully poked her in the side. "Oh come on, what could be so horrible already? We haven't even been here for an hour, Hermione."

She answered him by glaring at the table at the far end of the room. "I'm not saying anyone needs a reason to look at Slytherins like that, but I know you have one. Come on, spill!"

_Oh well, he'd find out sooner or later anyway._ "That stupid git Malfoy got Head Boy! I mean, I can't believe this! How can they not see that he is going to abuse his power? I hate how Dumbledore always tries to see the good in people! That ferret is nothing but a manipulative, conniving little **shit **that will ruin everything!" Throughout the course of that sentence her voice kept getting louder and louder until she was at the verge of screaming. Surprised at this emotional outburst from Hermione, who was usually quite the level-headed person, Harry gently patted her shoulder, trying to calm her down. He always had been rubbish at that, though.

In response to that, the brunette simply brushed his hand off and huffed indignantly. "He's going to ruin everything..." she finally muttered again, and there was a tinge of stubbornness to her tone.

"What are you talking about? What is he going to ruin?" Asked Harry gently, hoping she had a lid on her temper now. The girl had in the meantime dropped her head back on the table, so her friend had to struggle to understand her reply, muffled by the wooden surface.

"My seventh year, Harry. That's what he's going to ruin." She lifted her head again and there was a big red mark on her face from where she had squished it to the table. Harry had to really struggle not to laugh. "I mean, I had it all planned out you know! It was supposed to be a carefree year, but now look at all the mess... Ron, Draco, **Ginny**..." Her eyes strayed to the Slytherin table again, but this time they were filled with sadness. Harry followed her gaze and noticed a girl with a hair colour he would recognise anywhere. Completely shocked, he stuttered: "H-Hermione... Is... Is that Ginny?" The sorrowful look she gave him told him all he needed to know.

After that they just sat in silence for a while and almost didn't notice how the chatter in the hall completely died down. It was, of course, because McGonagall just entered with the first years in tow. Hermione couldn't really focus on the Sorting that followed, nor did she really hear the words Dumbledore spoke after that. It took the delicious sight and smell of the welcoming feast to finally bring her back to her senses. Her stomach growled hungrily and with the realisation that she hadn't eaten anything since morning, the brunette filled her plate without hesitation.

After the dinner was finished and everything was said and done, it was time to go to their respective houses. That reminded Hermione that she now had her own quarters, but not without the unwelcome addition of a certain ferret. With a sigh, she instructed the prefects to show the way for the little ones, reminded them of the password and then slowly started in a different direction. She was, after all, in no hurry. In time, even her amazingly slow tempo brought her to the portrait on the fourth floor that stood before her new home and resignedly, she mumbled the password.

As the painting swung to the side for Hermione, a surprised gasp left her mouth. Slowly stepping into the common room, she looked around.

It was beyond belief. The walls were painted a warm, peach colour, there were two enormous brown leather couches in front of the chimney and a soft, fluffy rug covering most of the floor. It looked like it would be heavenly to walk barefoot on. One window was a beautiful vitrage that would surely look amazing in daylight and the other two were ceiling to floor, not to mention the terrace beyond them. And that was just the main room! To the side, it expanded into a small kitchenette with a little stove and an assortment of teas.

Completely awestruck already, she was now practically jumping with excitement to see her room. Only, she didn't know which one it was. There were three doors: one to the left, one to the right and one in the middle, which she guessed led into a bathroom. Pretty sure that Malfoy was already here, she had no desire whatsoever to encounter him should she knock on the door of the room he had claimed as his, but as she had no other choice, she trusted her intuition and went left. When no one answered her knock, she cautiously opened the door and once again, she was met with unexpected luxury.

The bed was double, made with beautiful golden sheets that shimmered like only satin could, the drapes scarlet, proudly displaying the colours of her house. Furthermore, she had a big, polished desk, a fairly spacious closet and once more, the cold stone floor was nowhere to be seen, since a soft red carpet covered everything. There was also another door, probably leading into the bathroom.

Giddy with excitement, she dropped down onto the bed and squealed as she fell into the softness. _No wonder everyone wants to become the Head of Prefects! The benefits are amazing! _She had to wonder if the teachers' rooms were this luxurious as well. And to think she had had to endure shared dorms and communal showers for six years when this little jewel was hidden here all along.

After lounging on the bed for a while, she decided that she might want to do something productive after all, so she got the Charms textbook out of her trunk and strolled out of her room, barefoot. The brunette had been curled up on the futon before the fireplace reading for quite a good amount of time when she suddenly felt a presence next to her. Marking the page where she left off before closing the book, she now turned to Malfoy sitting on her left with a saccharine smile plastered on his face.

"Why hello there, roomie!" he exclaimed in an excited, over the top way. "We'll just be a minute and then you can go back to bookworming," he winked insultingly. "See, as we're going to be living together, I wanted to establish some ground rules. How about that, huh?" At first, Hermione had had half a mind to just ignore him and continue reading the textbook, but now that he mentioned it, she agreed that they actually **did** need to discuss some rules.

"Okay, I'm listening. List your propositions and then we can talk them over." She thought she noticed a shimmer of surprise in his eyes as she said that. Apparently, he had been convinced she'd immediately jump at him after that statement. She couldn't quite help the small smile of satisfaction that sneaked onto her face at that.

"Sounds great, roomie," he responded, again in that awfully annoying voice that sounded like a stereotypical gay man. "First off, you do not go into my room or touch my stuff and second, who I invite in here is none of your damn business. You keep to yourself and don't disturb me and this living arrangement might actually work. "Any trace of mocking disappeared from his voice as he said that and now expectantly stared at Hermione.

"Sounds good, except that the same things naturally apply to you as well. Don't go into my room, don't touch my stuff and leave me alone unless there is something you need. Do we have a deal?" At that, she extended her hand and the blonde took it, sealing their arrangement. "I'm glad we had this talk, roomie," he once again switched to the annoying, high-pitched voice and left through the portrait hole. With a sigh, Hermione went back to reading, her mind fully committed to the thought of the classes starting in two days.


	9. Chapter 9

**OMG! SHE UPDATED! Unbelievable, isn't it? Or do I just feel like it's been a long time since the last one? Who knows! **

**Anyway, I give you chapter nine, hoping it's not too disappointing. Enjoy it! Bunny out.**

* * *

><p>The dinner was over in a blink of an eye and before Ginny knew it, people were getting up all around her. Having no other choice but to follow them, the redhead let the stream of students steer her and soon they were descending into the dungeons. Realising she didn't have the slightest clue where the Slytherins' home was situated, she started paying close attention to the path they were taking in order to remember how to get there at a time when she wasn't surrounded by the whole population of the house. They were rounding corners and delving deeper and deeper into the labyrinth.<p>

Then suddenly, the group stopped. Ginny started searching for the portrait that would mark the entrance to the common room, but there was none. Now thoroughly perplexed, she gaped as the prefect leading them said the password and a stone door suddenly started sliding open. It sure as hell hadn't been visible before the girl had spoken.

_How the hell am I supposed to remember a random wall in the dungeons? _

Quite a bit panicky now, Ginny was extremely reluctant to follow the stream of students that were filtering into the common room. If she went in there, it would all become real, she would confirm it. From the moment she set foot in there, she would officially be a Slytherin too. Wiping her suddenly sweaty palms on the front of her skirt, she took one last deep breath, strengthening her resolve before she entered.

The room wasn't the eerie dungeon she expected to walk into. Instead, it was tastefully furnished with black leather couches, polished mahogany tables and delicately woven Persian rugs in the house's signature green colour. To be truthful, it actually looked pretty cosy. Letting out a tense breath that she'd been holding, the redhead felt herself relax immensely. Then a hand clasped around hers and she was on her toes again in a second.

"Look who's jumpy," a teasing alto jibed from her left and she was relieved to find that it was only Pansy. Ginny had to actually giggle at that thought_. If someone had told me I'd be reassured by Parkinson a few weeks ago, I would have laughed in their face..._

Still smiling in that teasing way, the older girl tugged on her arm. "Come on, I'll show you your room! Too bad you're younger; we could have been roommates..." The dark haired beauty even winked at her, which made Ginny blush to the roots of her wavy locks. Somehow, she could make her uncomfortable in the best possible way, and she didn't even know her for a good hour.

They crossed the common room and came to two separate doors. Pansy opened the right one and behind it, there was a long corridor, instead of the staircase that led to the dorms in Gryffindor. "I have to ask... What keeps the boys out? I mean, up in the tower, the stairs would turn into a slide if one of them tried to come up..."

The wolfish grin with which the other girl turned to her was telling enough on its own.

"What, kitten, you scared of bad boys creeping into your bed at night?" Upon seeing the slightly shocked expression the redhead was sporting she actually laughed aloud. "Don't worry, they are well mannered. They don't come unless invited... Usually..." Pansy now said, while still leading her down the corridor. _And I'm supposed to be reassured by that?_ _Of course, I should have known Slytherin wouldn't have thought of things like that when he was designing his house's quarters..._

Suddenly, they stopped in front of a door and Ginny was pulled out of her musings. "Home sweet home," said the older girl before opening it.

The redhead was faced with a much bigger dorm than she had resided in in her former home. The furnishing resembled the one in the common room, except for the beds, which were very similar to the ones in Gryffindor, save for the difference in colours. All in all, the room seemed to be better than her old one in every aspect.

"Wow, this looks... Spacious," Ginny commented wide-eyed while the other girls who occupied the room barely spared a few glances in her direction while unpacking.

"I'll hazard a guess and say that that one is yours," Pansy motioned to the only unoccupied bed in the room before patting her on the shoulder. "Girls, be nice to the kitten, okay?"

Surprised at the sharp tone in the older girl's tone despite her joking words, Ginny stared at her back as she left, very perplexed. She just couldn't wrap her head around Slytherin's social system, seeing that her new roommates looked like they were actually going to listen to Pansy. One by one, they got up and walked up to her, the smiles on their faces looking various degrees of fake.

There were only four of them: Astoria, Leanne, Kathryn and Eve. She knew them by name, as they had after all shared quite a few classes up to this year, but apart from that, Ginny had no clue what they were like. Each of them shaking her hand and introducing herself, the redhead could quickly draw a few conclusions.

Kathryn seemed to be the most stuck up of the bunch and it was obvious that even coming close to her seemed to cause her nose to wrinkle up in disgust, never mind the plastic smile on her lips. "You don't need to introduce yourself, I know who you are," were her first words, which she followed up by her full name, all three middle names included. _How much more stereotypical can you get, Miss Pureblood?_

Next Leanne and Eve shook her hand in very quick succession, showing neither disgust nor approval, which was definitely better than the other roommate, but they quickly retreated to their beds.

The last one to come up to her was Astoria. She actually genuinely smiled when she shook her hand and was the only one who lingered after their introduction. "This is exciting! A new girl, huh? I've heard so much about you Ginny!"

Grabbing her hand – a thing Slytherin girls apparently did a lot, Astoria tugged her over to a bed before she jumped onto it and begun chatting enthusiastically. "You have to tell me your story! It was a huge scandal when they threw you out last year! I know that part of course, but you got back in. How did you manage that? And to get into Slytherin, no less!"

Feeling quite confused, the redhead shuffled in her place. _Seriously, what is up with the snakes today? At least some of them are behaving like they should_, she thought with a glance in Kathryn's direction. But why should she look a gift horse in the mouth? Not only was she in a completely foreign environment, she was also alone and had no one to help her through the transition.

"You know what? That is actually a question I don't have an answer to, Astoria. But it sure is exciting to be here!" Ginny answered, slipping a carefully practiced smile on her face. Best not to show how she really felt if she had no idea what she was dealing with. "Slytherin is so much different from Gryffindor though! You guys had me really confused today... Would you mind showing me the ropes, explaining how things work around here?"

The blonde's toothy smile was answer enough.


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm a bad girl and you hate me, I know! :c Sorry for not updating for so damn long, but first there was writer's block, then my computer died and I had to get a new one... And after that, real life drama kicked in full time and I couldn't possibly make time for writing. Also, I am very lazy so that contributed to the whole thing... Anyway, read away! I hope it's not too disappointing... It's more of a filler than anything else.**

* * *

><p>The first few weeks of school flew by like lightning. It was easy to fall back into the routine of eating breakfast in the Great Hall each morning, going to classes during the day and writing homework in the evening. Although not everything was like it used to be.<p>

For Hermione, the transition from the crowded and lively Gryffindor common room was both positive and not. On the one hand, she really enjoyed the peace and quiet she had here, but on the other, it often got lonely, especially given whom her dorm mate was. At least he spent almost all of his time somewhere other than their quarters and didn't bother her too much.

But that still meant she was usually completely alone. It didn't bother her when she wanted to study or read, but all the other times, she wished she had company.

Her friendship with Harry was strained as it was because of the awkward situation between her and Ron, but now that they basically only saw each other during meals and class, he was drifting even further away.

Like that wasn't making her miserable enough already, she couldn't stop thinking about Ginny too. She would catch glimpses of her at lunch or if they passed each other on the corridor, but the redhead now seemed to always be in the company of at least one Slytherin. She couldn't possibly come up to her and try to talk if a snake was right by her side.

The whole thing was just making her more and more depressed as time went on. She felt completely alone and like no one cared about her anymore.

It was on a Saturday morning in early October when she was washing up in the bathroom that she stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing her own reflection in the mirror. She was unusually pale, dark circles stood out under her eyes and her hair that had by now grown into a neck-length shaggy haircut looked broken and lifeless. To put it mildly, she looked like shit.

The image was pretty shocking. Hermione couldn't actually remember the last time she really looked at herself, but now she was disappointed by what she had let herself become.

Sitting down on the toilet seat, she dropped her head into her hands with a great sigh. All those resolutions she had made during the summer, what happened to them? She swore she wouldn't be weak anymore, that she wouldn't bend her will to other people's wishes and that she'd go after the things she wanted. What happened to that strong girl who even completely changed her look to show how much she wasn't going to be subject to stereotypes anymore?

The answer wasn't all that hard to find. Hermione desperately needed her friends, but they apparently didn't need her, seeing as their lives went on joyously even when she wasn't a part of them anymore. That thought was the most depressing of them all.

She would have been able to withstand the loneliness if they would have at least tried to reach out to her and go out of their way to spend time with her. They didn't. And that, more so than anything before, made her realise that she didn't actually have friends to speak of. And even the ones she had thought closest to her lived their life merrily, barely even showing that they were now a part of a completely different house.

* * *

><p>Little did Hermione know that not everything was so damn peachy for Ginny either. The redhead was accustomed enough to faking her feelings that she didn't let anything show, but inside, she felt more lost than ever before.<p>

Living in Slytherin was basically like entering a different dimension. It _looked_ like the normal world, but it was like the rules she knew and followed all her past years suddenly just didn't apply anymore. The snakes created their own rules and abided by them strictly, but they were unlike anything the girl had experienced before.

Most prominent was the influence of one's social standing. You earned your way to the top very simply: by being the most powerful. Whether that meant you had an influential family, lots of money, friends in the right places, a position of power, it didn't really matter. If you had the power and let others know you would use it without regret, you belonged with the _crème_ of Slytherin.

Theoretically, Ginny should have been thanking the almighty forces above for her luck in that department. Apparently, the Trio that adopted her as their own were right at the top of Slytherin's royalty, what with Draco and Pansy both being prefects and Blaise just tagging along, using the mere influence of those two and his connections outside of school.

Really, the redhead had nothing to complain about. She was treated with respect by most of the snakes when she had mentally prepared herself for the worst experience of her life. Nonetheless, being a part of a foreign house filled with alien people was extremely stressful and slowly taking its toll on her.

The worst part was that she could never feel relaxed. Yes, her peers didn't exactly exclude her, but unless she was in the company of one of her three protectors all she would get were cold looks and absolutely no sympathy. When she was with her so-called 'friends', she felt better and the more she got to know them, the cooler they seemed. What bugged her most about them though was that she couldn't figure out why they had started being nice to her in the first place. They were Slytherins after all; they must have had _some_ ulterior motive.

* * *

><p>Both of the girls were slowly nearing their breaking points when Draco approached Hermione one evening in late October. She was sitting on a cosy futon in their living room, curled up with a book and minding her own business as usual when he tapped her on the shoulder. "Nerdy, mind donating me a few minutes?"<p>

The brunette frowned at his rudeness, but put down the book anyway and fixed him with a glare that clearly conveyed _get this over with quickly._

"Okay, I'll give it to you plain and simple. Next Saturday is Halloween and I'm going to be throwing an epic party since I have the place to do it. Now you, you present an obstacle. I presume it's clear that you won't be reporting this to anyone… All I need you to do is find another place to sleep next weekend. I think it's pretty generous of me to give you a heads up so early on… I mean, I wouldn't do that for just anyone, roomie!" Finishing his speech with a wink and that awful word he loved to call her, he waited for her reaction.

Usually, she would have just sighed and said 'Fine, whatever', but this time she actually got seriously pissed. "What the hell Malfoy? Okay, I let some of your shit slide…. Now you want to start throwing me out of my own fucking place?" Getting up and hitting Malfoy with the book she was holding she stormed away to her room, while calling back to him where exactly he can shove that party idea of his.

After fuming for a while in her room, completely outraged, Hermione calmed down a bit. _And if I let him throw it? Would that be so bad?_ To tell the truth, she had never been to an actual 'party' in the sense of the word. She knew what high school parties were supposed to look like in the muggle world since she amused herself by watching chick flicks during the summer break, but she had never experienced a proper wizarding party. Those celebrations after a Quidditch match probably counted for something, but all you had to drink there was more or less butterbeer.

With a decision firmly rooted in her mind she got up and stomped across their common room, banging on the blonde's door until he opened it, clearly confused.

"You can have your stupid party, but under one condition: I am so totally attending."


	11. Chapter 11

**Yes, I deserve to rot in the bowels of hell right about now, I completely agree. Not only did it take forever for me to upload this, but it's neither good nor long. But I am finding it very hard to push on with the plot, seeing that I'm making this stuff up as i go. Oh well, try to enjoy and as always, let me know what you thought! Bunny out.**

* * *

><p>No matter what she was doing or which subject she was studying, Hermione couldn't keep her mind off the party the next few days.<p>

After his initial shock wore off when she came banging on his door, Malfoy had burst into laughter. When she didn't even crack a smile he realised it wasn't a joke and pondered her statement for a while.

"Okay, sure, come if you want it so bad. Just don't act all scandalized or something afterwards. It was you who wanted to come, no one forced you."

Very satisfied with his reply she already started turning on her heels, but he grabbed her by the elbow to stop the movement.

"Granger, it's a themed party. Do try not to embarrass me, huh?" With that lovely parting comment he let her go and in a slightly worse mood, she returned to her room.

Since then, her thoughts had been thoroughly occupied. She couldn't stop overthinking details, but mostly, she couldn't decide what to wear. Silly, really, but somehow, she was extremely nervous about that. The point was, there were universally two types of costume parties; either the goal was to have the most complicated, funny or unique mask or simply to wow everyone with your amazing sexiness in a skimpy outfit.

Seeing as Malfoy was the host of the party, she was quite certain they were aiming for the second archetype. That didn't alleviate her worries in the least though.

Never in her life had she intentionally tried to look sexy and Hermione was worried she'd end up being ridiculous. But even if she did achieve her goal, there was the persistent question of what to wear. Vampire or Mummy? Bunny or Mouse? The first solution that popped into her mind was to ask one of her roommates. Lavender or Parvati would surely have some great ideas. The only problem was that they weren't her roommates anymore.

The internal battle went on like that right up to the evening of the day before the party. She finally couldn't take it anymore and suddenly, she found herself knocking on the blonde's door. Hermione could hear a few muffled swear words and a lot of shuffling before her roommate appeared at the entrance, opening the door just enough to be able to see her - without a shirt, his hair tussled, lips swollen and a very pissed off look in his eyes directed right at her.

"The fuck do **you** want, Granger?"

Supressing a few giggles at knowing very well what she just interrupted, she quickly spat out her question. "I was just making sure about something... This a costume party, right? Vampires, zombies, that stuff?"

Still glaring at her like he was going to kill her any minute he answered while already closing the door. "Of course not, I have more class than that... It's a masked ball. Wear something fitting, for Merlin's sake."

Slamming the door in her face, Malfoy quickly got back to his bedroom companion. As she was leaving, she could hear the brat complaining, and then a voice answered him. But it wasn't a female voice as she had expected it to be. It was a deep, man's voice that answered the Slytherin with laughter and Hermione froze on her spot.

Malfoy was making out with a guy? There was no mistaking what he had been doing, what with how he had looked when he opened the door. Was he gay?!

Even in the muggle world, gay people were often frowned upon, but the wizard world was even more traditional. She only knew of a few famous wizards who had been openly gay through the history and those had mostly been violently executed. She couldn't possibly imagine someone like Malfoy being homosexual.

I mean, he didn't look or act gay, that she was sure of. He did perfectly masculine things like obsess over sports and work out, his body spoke volumes about that.

But thinking about that body that she had been faced with a bare minute ago brought up another issue that Hermione worked long to push into the very depths of her carefully closed-off mind.

She hadn't felt a pang of attraction towards those perfectly chiselled abs, and she was pretty sure she should have. She had been facing the same issue back when she was together with Ron. Kissing him felt nice, but she never felt the urge to do anything more, simply because no matter what he did, he couldn't invoke sexual desire in her.

She thought that maybe it was just that she and Ron weren't meant to be, or perhaps that she didn't feel comfortable enough in her own skin. All that sounded nice and plausible, but that still meant she should have been able to feel some attraction towards other guys, right? Instead, she couldn't even remember ever having a so-called 'crush' on a guy.

Was she asexual?!

That thought kind of scared her, but not more so than the other possibility. Feeling quite a bit panicky, she pushed it all back into the dark corners of her mind and rushed into her room to get started on her dress.

Luckily, she already had a solid base. She had started transfiguring an old dress of hers into a beautiful Victorian gown because she had meant to dress up as a vampire. What she needed to do was to simply tweak a few things here and there and find herself something to make into a mask. No matter what, she was determined to look stunning tomorrow evening.

* * *

><p>Friday flew by in the blink of an eye and when she returned to her and Draco's joint common room, it was like entering a different era. At first she was extremely impressed with the amount of effort and work Malfoy must have put into it, but then she realised that approximately five house elves kept zooming around the space and adding details to make the room appear even more perfect.<p>

As her roommate was nowhere to be seen, Hermione took the liberty of looking around for a bit. Heavy velvet curtains were hung on the ceiling and the walls, creating a mysterious, dark atmosphere. There were candle holders all around on the available surfaces, because the windows were covered as well, which meant that the fireplace was the only real light source. Their comfy couches had been transfigured into rich, dark purple sofas that fit perfectly with the atmosphere but one of the biggest changes had been made in their kitchenette. It had been transformed into a bar, with wine and champagne bottles abound, a number of fancy cocktail glasses behind a counter and what appeared to be different mixes each in its own container, labelled appropriately. It was a goldmine of alcohol and Hermione could just feel a certain giddiness arising at the thought of getting drunk for the first time in her life.

Wanting to go drop off her stuff and make sure her outfit was entirely perfect, she headed for her room and had to actually go behind one of the curtains. She made a mental note to lock the door later – she didn't exactly have a particular desire for a couple of drunken horny teenagers to get it on in her room.

_I do so hope for this to turn out well._


	12. Chapter 12

**Yes, it took a long time. Yes' I'm sorry about that. And yes, still no Ginny/Hermione action, sorry about that too, but it just felt right to write this chapter. It's also a bit longer than usual. Read, review, and most importantly, enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p>As she and Pansy were getting ready, Ginny couldn't really stay focused. She was very excited about the party, being eager to experience how Slytherins liked to have fun, but that wasn't the thing that kept drawing her attention.<p>

The older girl had two dresses laid out on the bed, having yet to decide who would wear which one, while she stood in front of them clad only in a set of very revealing black lacy underwear. Ginny's eyes kept being drawn to her figure even though the redhead was trying not to look, and she just couldn't figure out why.

It's not like she had a problem with nudity or anything. She and the girls used to shower together after Quidditch all the time and she was never bothered. She could remember their muscular, toned bodies quite into detail, actually... But so what? All girls checked out their competition a bit, right? She was quite positive Katie Bell had been hitting on Harry at the time, and, well, Harry...

Ginny got her wandering thoughts back on track and looked at the two dresses, purposefully keeping Pansy out of her field of vision. One was a Victorian-gothic masterpiece in a few shades of purple with black lace finishes while the other consisted of a beautiful, dark grey and silver corset and a floor length skirt in a pale red colour.

Personally, she thought the raven-haired Slytherin would look stunning in the darker piece, for it would enhance her mysterious aura of dangerous beauty. Ginny **also** thought that the purple would clash horribly with her own fiery hair, which is why she was much fonder of the other dress, which had just the right balance of light and dark colours.

Apparently, Pansy was thinking much along those same lines, because in a matter of seconds, she announced that she was taking the left piece and Ginny the right one. With eyes full of wonder, the younger girl gazed at the masterpiece of a gown laid out before her, not even noticing that her scantily clad companion had taken to slowly putting her dress on.

"Ginny, can you help me out?"

The redhead tore herself out of her daze and turned towards Pansy, who was offering her her bare back where black satin strips hung, waiting to be laced up to fasten the dress.

Feeling extremely nervous for Merlin knows which reason, Ginny took the strips in her hands and slowly started to trace them through their holes, creating a criss-cross pattern and trying to avoid any contact with the older girl's skin. Somehow, it felt way too intimate doing this for Pansy, even though it was actually a very simple gesture. The thought of being so close to her when she wasn't fully clothed made her feel uneasy, but she'd be damned if she knew why.

With shaking fingers, Ginny drew the fabric through the last hole and finished lacing her companion's dress up.

"There."

Turning and smoothing down the folds in the dress, Pansy gave her a great big smile and motioned to the other gown still lying on the bed.

"Do you want me to do you now?"

Blushing furiously at the statement, Ginny was at a loss of words. _Why in the seven hells am I reacting like this? We are just helping each other get dressed!_

Simply nodding in reply to the older girl's offer, she started taking off her clothes, trying not to think about the fact that the Slytherin was right there, watching her. Stripping down to her plain white bra and knickers, she was about to reach for the dress when a voice stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Oh come on, Ginny! You can't wear **that** underneath!"

Wide-eyed, she turned to the entrance to the room where she found Malfoy leaning on the doorframe with a scandalised expression on his face.

"Seriously, girl. It's a crime to wear something as plain under a gown that beautiful. I'm sure Pans here can lend you something more... Appropriate."

Grinning at his dark-haired friend, the blond closed the door behind him and headed in the direction of the girl's closet. He rummaged through the drawers while whistling to himself, Ginny still staring at his back completely gobsmacked. In a few seconds he straightened back up, a lacy bra and thong hanging from his fingers in a dark grey colour that was very similar to the bodice of her dress.

"You're a B, right?" he motioned to his chest and handed her the underwear with a cheeky smile.

"Well, my work here is done. You both look absolutely stunning, by the way. Ta-ta!" Blowing a kiss in their direction, he disappeared back to where he came from.

"What the hell?", Ginny looked over to the older girl. "Does he do this often? Don't you feel violated, him barging in like that?"

Pansy just giggled and motioned for the redhead to go change her unmentionables behind the dressing screen.

"Why would I feel violated?" she continued the conversation while her companion was hidden behind the barrier.

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because you could be **half naked** like I was just now?" She wasn't ashamed of how she looked stripped down to her undies, as a matter of fact, you could say she was pretty damn proud of her body. That didn't mean she wanted to show it off to every guy that dropped by the room, though.

Pansy's laughter could be heard from the other side of the screen. "But it's just Draco… What are you stressing about? You don't feel violated with me around, why would you with him?"

The redhead chose not to comment on the part about her, since she couldn't even figure out herself why she felt uncomfortable in the older girl's not-entirely-clothed presence, so she focused on the first part of her answer.

"**Why** would I stress about him? Well, I don't know, because he's a guy?!"

At this, the other Slytherin burst into laughter like Ginny had never heard from her before. Having just fastened the clasp of her brassiere, she walked around the dressing screen to see what the hell Pansy was laughing so hard about. The older girl was slowly calming down, but her eyes glistened slightly from tears unshed.

"Of course you don't know… Kitten, Draco doesn't swing your way… Or mine, really."

It took a few seconds for the redhead's confused brain to comprehend those words, but once she did, her mouth fell so open she was pretty sure her jaw was almost on the floor. _Draco __**friggin Malfoy**__ is gay? You have __**got**__ to be kidding me…_

"Oh Merlin, you should see your face right now, Ginny. I wish I had a camera!"

It didn't seem half as funny to Ginny, though. In fact, not funny at all.

How could Malfoy be gay? Homosexuality wasn't something wizards often talked about and it was extremely frowned upon. You didn't just waltz into a room and go: "Hey guys, I'm gay! Drinks on everyone!" People didn't get executed for being homosexual anymore, but they were viewed as unnatural and disturbed.

So how could Pansy say with such ease that Draco liked boys? That was like she would have just said that he was mentally handicapped like it wasn't a big deal. It was even more shocking to Ginny because both the dark-haired girl and the blond git were from influential, pure blooded wizarding families that were known for up keeping ancient traditions like arranged marriages and such. Them being so open about homosexuality was just something she couldn't comprehend; not with her own family being very conservative about the subject.

"You aren't joking, are you? He's actually gay?" She had to ask, just to be sure and Pansy's face now dropped the smile.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

The redhead was shocked to hear the underlying threat that was suddenly in the girl's voice. She had heard her use that menacing tone before, but it was a completely different experience when it was directed at her. It chilled Ginny to the bone.

"N-no, no, that's not what I meant at all!" she hurried to apologise, because even though she hadn't stated it, inside, she felt anything but acceptance towards the idea and hated herself for it. It just nudged at something lodged deep in her subconscious that she was very much unwilling to face. "I'm merely shocked. I mean, wow, I can't say I've ever met a gay person before… Umm, how long has he been this way?"

Even though the dangerous darkness now disappeared from Pansy's eyes, the older girl still looked at her with suspicion as she motioned for her to come closer and picked up the dress.

"Well, he started being aware of it very early on, probably around second or third year. We were already very close then and when he realised he would always get turned on watching his teammates play Quidditch, or later on, share the shower with them, he stopped denying it to himself. He was shocked, naturally, but we talked a lot about it and agreed that there was nothing he could do about it." The girl sighed and started fastening the clasps at the back of Ginny's dress that she had pulled on in the meantime.

"In fourth year, we started pretending to date to keep up his cover of your usual horny teen boy. It was easily believable, what with him looking so delicious," she giggled and finished with the other girl's dress. "And then, Blaise came into the picture. But that's a story for another day!"

Smiling at Ginny, she looked her up and down and nodded approvingly. "I knew this one would fit like a glove," she winked and pushed her towards the floor length mirror so she could see for herself.

It did indeed, just like Pansy had said, fit like a second skin. The corset hugged the humble curve of her breast, making it look much more prominent than usual and then dipped inward at her smaller waist before flaring out again at the hip, then finally falling down to the floor in rich waves of red fabric. It looked stunning and Ginny had to admit that it had been a long time since she felt as beautiful.

Pansy joined her side before the mirror and she too looked positively breath-taking. They exchanged grinning looks, both making a beeline for the vanity to get their makeup done and completely leaving the heavy conversation about Draco's sexuality behind. For the time being, anyway.


	13. Chapter 13

**You can't believe your eyes and neither can I, so we're even. The muse chose today to completely overwhelm me and I give you a second chapter in the span of 24 hours. The world must be going mad! So this one finally has some interaction, if that's what you want to call it. It's probably going to get really interesting in the next chapter though! Let me know what you think, lord knows I appreciate it! Now sleep, come to me o.o Bunny out!**

* * *

><p>She could hear the music, hear the chatter of people through the closed door of her room, hidden by the heavy velvet curtain. For all they knew, it didn't even exist, and neither did she.<p>

The surge of confidence she had felt when she first put on her dress was long gone and right now, Hermione was regretting her decision to attend the party very much. It was loud and the room was bound to be full of people who would judge her when she showed her mask-clad face. She could have just let Draco have his way and spent the night in the Room of Requirements, but now it was too late for that.

Looking in the mirror again and trying to regain some of her lost courage, she was faced with a reflection that was, admittedly, quite beautiful. The gown that she had made in the end was mostly made from a dark midnight blue fabric, except for the bodice that was of a lighter blue colour with a black pattern of French lilies. The straps supporting the dress crossed over each other at the front and fastened around her neck, which left almost half her back and her arms completely bare.

Her shaggy, almost neck-length hair was mussed into a carefully planned state of disarray and the mask she wore was very simple, but its sharp edges added beautifully to the picture.

All in all, she had nothing to worry about, at least not appearance-wise. Even though she had no idea what the people on the other side of the door looked like, she was confident enough in her choice of attire that she knew she'd blend in just fine.

She was more worried about _who_'d be there.

Seeing as Malfoy was the host, there would surely be a bunch of Slytherins. But Hermione wondered more if it would be Slytherins exclusively or if there were going to be members of other houses too, although Gryffindor probably excluded.

The most burning question though was if Ginny was going to be there too. The brunette had noticed that she had started hanging out with the school's most notorious serpents and it would make sense that Malfoy would invite his closest companions to the party. Somehow, that just added to the tension in her stomach that she could feel being wound tight.

Feeling some new kind of resolve strengthen, she smoothed down the fabric of her skirt for the last time, took a few deep, calming breaths and then marched out the door.

* * *

><p>It was a pretty damn classy party, Ginny had to give it to Draco.<p>

When she and Pansy had first entered the Heads' common room, she felt like she left the regular world behind and entered an alternate universe where mystery and sensation were the ruling powers.

The atmosphere was heavy with secrets and restrained scandal just waiting to be spilled forth when alcohol entered the equation. Luckily for them, there was plenty of it and the redhead helped herself to a fine strawberry blend that she sipped on from a cocktail glass.

Her black-haired friend joined her side and poured herself the same cocktail before they both leaned on the counter and looked around the room.

"Red dress over there… Do you think that's Padma?"

She had been informed on their way there that it wasn't going to be a Slytherin-exclusive party, but merely the _crème de la crème_ from all the houses and Ginny's heart stuttered for a moment when the possibility of a certain brunette being there crossed her mind. She quickly wrote it off as a jitter of nervousness because she hadn't seen the girl in such a long time, and she probably hated her anyway.

The two friends stayed like that for a while, playing the guessing game and refilling their glasses very frequently. Ginny was actually getting a little bored when a group of men in crisp tuxedos walked in and got their full attention. Two of them headed straight towards them and there was no mistaking their identities even with the masks; the platinum hair and the rich ebony skin were dead giveaways.

"Look who decided to show! Don't you know it's rude to be late to your own party, Draco?"

Malfoy merely laughed, exchanging a long look with Blaise. "Sorry, I was busy."

Even though the alcohol was good and well in her system by now, something about that look cut through the haze wrapped all around her and Ginny knew one thing for sure in that moment. The Blaise comment Pansy had made a mere hour ago in regards to Draco's sexuality suddenly had a lot more meaning than it had held before and her red-painted lips formed a perfect 'O'.

"Since when are you a fish?" the dark- skinned boy jibed at her, at which she promptly closed her mouth, but the shock didn't disappear. "Since you and Draco are getting down and dirty."

The thing slipped out of her mouth before it even registered in her brain and complete silence enveloped the four of them for a few moments, the music playing in the background seeming like a dull, but constant thumping that was the only thing signalling time hadn't stopped.

"What did you just say?" Blaise now asked with an equal amount of shock that she still felt.

Deeming it futile to try and take the words back and feeling bolder because of the alcohol, she shrugged. "I said… Since you are fucking Malfoy's sweet little ass, that's since when. Now excuse me, I need a drink."

Turning away from the silenced trio, she went straight to the refrigerator where extra alcohol was stored and helped herself to a bottle of vodka. She would need something damn strong if she was going to digest that particular piece of information.

As she crossed the room to one of the more secluded corners, she could see her three friends arguing fervently, but she didn't pay them any heed. At the moment, it was just her and the cold bottle by her side.

With the corner of her eye, she noticed a girl in a beautiful blue gown storming past her right over to the bar, but at the moment, she couldn't care less. She just sat down in an alcove, flipped off the bottle cap and took generous gulps of the burning liquid.

* * *

><p>The party wasn't exactly what she had been expecting when she first told Malfoy that she'd totally be attending it.<p>

What she had been looking for had been a wild, dancing-and-hooking-up-all-around party, instead what she found herself in was a sophisticated, upper class soiree.

Deciding immediately that alcohol would remedy her bad decision, she headed straight for the bar Malfoy had set up, but encountered an annoying obstacle in the way.

The famous Silver Trio stood by the counter having a very heated debate, but when Pansy spotted her coming their way, she apparently warned them because they immediately shut up. Parkinson and Zabini were both looking at her with half hostility, half curiosity, probably because they didn't know who she was, but the blonde was a different story.

"Well look who decided to show up! Didn't know you owned a dress like this though! I was counting on you to amuse me with your embarrassing choice of attire, but I guess you have to be boring and disappoint even when it comes to this, Granger."

"Why thank you, Malfoy, it's lovely to see you too! You look as stuck up as usual," she answered him coldly before snatching up a flute of champagne and turning their back on them. _The asshole… I never should have come. I don't belong here…_ She just proved herself even more right when she looked around and put names to the faces behind the masks. She mostly knew the people, but couldn't say they were someone who she'd hang out with over coffee.

Noticing Padma Patil over at the far end of the room, talking to a tall, well-built Slytherin, she headed in their direction but stopped dead in her tracks when the two substituted conversation for making out.

_Nopeee…_ She was turning around in a millisecond, downing her glass and returning to the bar immediately. The trio that was still there sent her mocking looks as she helped herself to more alcohol, repeating the first pattern quite a few times when a very similar thing happened to her with almost all the people that she decided to talk to.

As she was getting increasingly drunk, her choices started becoming worse and worse when she slowly realised that all the people were more or less paired up and making out in some corner. It was almost as if the party had been planned for that sole purpose, to get the elite of the school to hook up with the help of alcohol and corsets.

Some of the couples were getting ridiculously inappropriate and Hermione couldn't think straight anymore as she was practically being surrounded by sex. Very hammered at this point, she went to help herself to some more alcohol to help it go away, she turned to the bar, but the picture that greeted her there got burned into the back of her eyelids.

Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini were making out against the counter while Pansy Parkinson was sitting on it, her skirts hiked up and her hand in her underwear.

Wide eyed, the brunette simply couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight, not noticing that she was focusing much more on Pansy and not so much on the gay making out part. She felt blood rush to her cheeks and a tightening low in her abdomen, a delicious tingling that had her gasping from the knowledge of what exactly it was.

Not wasting a second more, she rushed back toward her room but found a drunken Ginny leaning against the door, clutching a bottle of vodka tightly.

"You don't mind if I join you, do you?"

Not waiting for a reply, she flopped down to the floor to the redhead's side and took a long swig from the relatively empty bottle.

"God knows I need it."


	14. Chapter 14

**Yeah, soo... I know it's been ages. First, there was May and school was hectic, I had a ton of things to finish up. When that was finally over, I realised I was caught in a pretty major writer's block and rewrote this chapter about a thousand times, but I'm still not satisfied with the result. Since a bunch of people had been asking about this chapter, I'm going to go ahead and put it up though, because it's probably not going to get better even if I try to rewrite it once more.**  
><strong>I hope you still find it enjoyable, and, as always, let me know what you think! I'd rather have negative feedback than no feedback at all. Bunny out :)<strong>

* * *

><p>Looking up, Ginny could see a blue-clad figure leaning over her. It was saying something, but she couldn't make sense of the words. She did hear the voice though. It was a pretty, feminine voice. She knew that voice. If only she could remember from where...<p>

The girl sat down next to her and helped herself to the Vodka, so Ginny took it she wasn't having such a blast at the party either. "'d' you find o-out that Draco and Zbiny are gay too?"

The girl in blue just looked at her in silence before taking another swig from the bottle. _I take it that's a yes!_

"Di-d youu like an' of deem?"

I mean, why would she get upset otherwise? Surely she had been hoping to get it on with one of the two hotties. She would have put as much into words but they didn't quite seem to obey her when coming out of her mouth.

"We-ell you sure arr pretty 'nuff for daat," she grinned at her. Even though her vision was blurring if she moved her head too quickly, she could still see the brunette quite clearly, and she was indeed a great beauty.

At that, the other girl giggled too and unfastened the mask that had been bothering her since she first put it on.

"Oh, this feels so much better," she sighed, putting it down beside the bottle.

"But no, they're both dicks. I'm just frustrated because everyone but me is hooking up," she said, a dark scowl taking place on her face. She didn't look as pretty anymore.

"Don't frown, you'll get wrinkles," Ginny softly told her and leaned forward to smooth out the creases that had appeared in the brunette's forehead.

The other girl's breath hitched as she did that, staring at her wide-eyed and finally, the redhead recognised her.

"Hermione," a surprised breath escaped her and not being able to look away, she slowly lowered her hand. "I... Didn't know it was you."

The slurring was gone from her voice, making it sound quite breathy as she said that.

Ginny had no idea what was happening, but never before had the Gryffindor looked so appealing. Her cheeks were flushed with blood and her lips painted pink, slightly parted to let her warm breath escape.

The redhead's brain completely shut down and before she was aware of what she was even doing, she leaned in and kissed those delectable lips.

* * *

><p>Wow, she'd thought she'd drunk a lot, but that was before she sat down next to Ginny. The girl was so hammered she couldn't even form normal words anymore. Hermione herself was finding drinking to be quite a pleasant experience. The cocktails were blended so well you could barely taste the alcohol, so the gross taste was something she could count out. As for the feeling, she found the initial buzz and dulling down of her senses interesting, and she seemed to immediately become more communicative, which, as far as she was concerned, was a positive effect. But she also found that she would get much more affected by things.<p>

Like Ginny's closeness, for example.

After taking off the mask that had been pressing into the tops of her cheeks the whole evening, she immediately felt more exposed, but the slightly uncomfortable feeling vanished when the redhead touched her. Her mask was still on, a charcoal-coloured masterpiece that went perfectly with her dress, both of which were surely borrowed from Pansy - it made the whole thing look just as surreal as the girl's touch on her face felt.

As the redhead leaned in close to her, her breath hitched and she could feel her cheeks reddening because only one thought was suddenly going through her head.

_Please kiss me._

And almost like she could hear her thoughts, in the next moment, Ginny did.

Out of reflex, Hermione closed her eyes when their lips touched, but she felt like time itself had stopped still.

It was a tentative touch, barely more than a brush of lips against lips, like the redhead wanted to see her reaction before she did anything more.

Hermione, who had realised just a few seconds ago that she might have been craving this for a long time, could do nothing but bring her hands up to Ginny's shoulders slowly and respond to her exploring lips.

Very quickly, the kiss grew in intensity, the redhead having buried her hand in Hermione's messy hair and the brunette wrapping her hands around her neck in turn. Their tongues caressed each other, instead of battling for dominance, their teeth tugged on lips with passion, not aggression in mind.

Even though her partner's mask was beautiful, Hermione found that she desperately wished for it to come off and got rid of it as quickly as she could. Somehow, kissing Ginny while she was wearing a mask just didn't feel quite right.

As they broke apart for a few seconds, the younger of the pair rested her forehead against Hermione's.

"'Mione, what are we doing?"

There was fear in her voice, like she was scared of their actions, and yet her alto had a raspy tinge that spoke volumes of how much the redhead was enjoying their touches.

As Hermione felt a very similar mixture of feelings battling inside her as well, she could only say one thing.

"Only what feels right, Ginny."

This time the brunette initiated the kiss. It was slower, bursting with underlying feelings none of the two were aware of yet, especially in the intoxicated state the both of them were in.

Hermione might not have had much experience with physical affection with anyone, but she had read more than her fair share of romantic novels to have at least a bit of an idea what to do. She hadn't read any lesbian novels, obviously, but why not just try out the things the hero did to drive his lady wild? Books had not failed her before, why would they in this situation?

Pulling the younger girl closer to herself, she slowly kissed down her neck, stopping at the juncture with the shoulder to gently suck on the sensitive skin. Ginny let out a quiet moan that sent shivers of delight down her spine and she continued, getting less gentle and even throwing in a few nips.

The redhead, who had long since wrapped her hands around Hermione, couldn't believe what was happening to her body. She was feeling all these completely new sensations and her body felt like it was slowly being set ablaze. It was positively sinful and she wanted the brunette to feel at least as good.

Not really knowing what to do, she simply mimicked Hermione's actions from before and then followed the sighs the older girl produced. Any conscious thought was flung out the window as they lost themselves in each other and very soon, the brunette felt like they were entirely overdressed for the situation.

Standing up and catching herself with a hand on the wall as to not fall, she offered her free one to the flushed beauty still on the floor. "May I invite you into my chamber, gracious lady?"

"Why indeed you may, thank you." They giggled at one another and Ginny let out a surprised gasp as Hermione simply moved the heavy velvet to the side and suddenly, there was a door. They stepped through and the redhead took in the amazingly furnished room before her companion ran her hands down her sides slowly and took up all her attention. Hand stopping at the fastening of her bodice, she leaned in and whispered to the younger girl, her warm breath igniting the nerves of her neck and earlobe. "Do you want me to undress you, Ginny?"

Feeling incredibly hot just by hearing those words, she could do nothing but nod and her hands clenched into fists as Hermione slowly started undoing her corset. In contrast to a few hours before when Pansy had been doing the exact same thing, she felt no uneasiness, just anticipation and slight anxiety, but the overwhelming emotion was lust. She was pretty sure she had never wanted anyone more in her life than she did Hermione just now.

Finally, the last knot was undone and Ginny took a deep breath, letting her dress fall off her and pool at her feet. She stood in nothing but her lacy underwear in front of the other girl and slowly, she turned to face her.

The brunette's eyes were glazed over as she slowly took Ginny's perfect form in. It completely took her breath away and she couldn't help herself, pulling her in and into a heated kiss, their bodies melding into each other. While her hands tangled into the fiery tresses of Ginny's hair, the other girl's fingers found the clasps at the back of Hermione's own dress and undid them, finally letting it fall of when she opened the one around her neck and her hands stayed there too as they pressed themselves even closer to each other, desperate for skin on skin contact.

Continuing to make love to each other's mouth, they fell back on the luxurious bed that occupied a good portion of Hermione's room and lost themselves in each other.


	15. Chapter 15

**Soo, this time the chapter comes much sooner than they usually do, which I hope at least some of you will be excited about. It picks off in the morning, however, so I hope not too many of you are disappointed by that. If you would like to read the missing bedroom scene anyway, let me know in the reviews and I might just write it. I guess I am just really shy about writing smut. Anyway, enjoy! **

* * *

><p>The first thing Ginny noticed upon waking up was that her sheets were unusually soft. A funny thing, but they just felt so different from how they usually were, all silky, almost caressing her skin.<p>

The next thing that dawned upon her fuzzy mind was the fact that she was not alone in the bed. At first, that confused her greatly, but then she slowly started remembering the events of the night and suddenly she was perfectly aware who was the owner of the hand resting on her hip. As the memories flooded her, Ginny could only lie still, tangled between the sheets, legs intertwined with the girl that lay behind her.

It had all happened way too fast for Ginny and she wasn't ready to deal with the consequences of the night, why, even the mere implications that it brought with it (more like facts now, but she insisted on calling them implications in her head) were outrageous to the redhead's confused mind.

A decision made, Ginny slowly started extracting herself from the big tangle of limbs that were her and her bunk buddy. Asking whatever forces that were at work up there to keep Hermione asleep, she managed to get away from the brunette who made a few small noises but continued to rest.

_She is not cute, dammit! Get your shit together Ginny!_ Refusing to let her eyes travel any lower than her friend's - or was it lover's now? - face, although she might have wanted to, she looked around the room.

She noted it was huge and very well furnished, at which she felt slightly jealous, but her bedroom wasn't all that bad, just lacked privacy. Their gowns lay on the floor in pools of fabric and Ginny cursed quietly upon realising that she couldn't put the dress on without the help of another.

Resigning to snatching something of Hermione's, she tiptoed to the closet and grabbed the first shirt and jeans that she saw.

Thanking her luck when she succeeded to dress in silence, she spared a last glance to the brunette slumbering on the bed and with a pang of regret squeezed out of the room, the gown from last night folded in her arms.

As she stepped out into the common room of the Heads' living area, she expected a huge mess which was usually found in the wake of a party, but found none to be there. The room also looked completely different from what she had seen yesterday, the dark, mysterious atmosphere replaced by warm pastel tones and a lively feel to it, although some dramatic elements remained, like the stained glass windows or the terrace that looked out onto the school grounds. She couldn't help but be amazed that this was actually how their place looked on an every-day basis.

Someone cleared their throat and Ginny spun around ready to defend her case but was faced with Draco behind the counter, pouring steaming water into a mug. "Morning, kitten. Tea?" He was already waving his wand so another mug joined his from a cupboard and poured water into it too.

"Sure, I guess…" She walked over to him and accepted the mug that now also held a teabag of strong black tea.

"I see you crashed over at my lovely roommate's. How is the perfect prude, by the way? Did she enjoy the little peek into the debauchery she could indulge in if she weren't so stuck-up?" Feeling her face warm up, Ginny quickly let her hair fall in front of her face to cover up her embarrassment. She couldn't let the blond know anything out of the ordinary went down yesterday.

"Uhm, I don't know, didn't ask. I just made use of her room… It's not like we get along or anything…" Mentally slapping herself almost immediately after that left her mouth, she tried to make herself look impassive. She had, after all, become pretty adept at not letting her emotions show.

"Right, of course, what with her being part of your old crowd…" He grinned at her and took the teabag out of his mug while assessing her with his eyes. Both of them were aware that he was fishing for more information, but she wasn't letting up. Even though she got along with the guy and he had been a pretty good friend to her in the last month or so, she still couldn't trust him, and the curious glimmer in his eyes only reinforced that notion. She had learned of his thirst for knowing everyone's secrets by now and she didn't intend to indulge him on her own front.

"Fine, be that way. You **are** going to tell me about this sooner or later, Ginny." He sipped on his tea and the redhead couldn't help but let a small smile take residence on her face as she noticed that he did look somehow disappointed.

Taking out her own teabag she cursed lightly, knowing that the tea would be too strong for her because she left it in too long, she took a few sips of her beverage and tried not to cringe at the taste.

"Besides, I'm not the one who has explaining to do. What would the ladies of Hogwarts say if they knew two of the hottest studs were actually shagging each other?" She surprised herself with the playfulness of her tone. While she had been ridiculously bothered by that new knowledge yesterday, she found that she didn't find it as disturbing anymore. Especially in view of last night's events…

Another mental slap followed that and she quickly forced the resurfacing memories back down, not ready to open that particular can of worms just yet. One shocking thing at a time was how things were best handled.

Draco too viewed her curiously, remembering very clearly how she had gotten worked up about it yesterday and assessing her changed attitude. "Well, some of them do, you know," he winked, letting it slide for a while. He would ponder the mystery that was Ginny Weasley later on.

"Everyone who was at the party yesterday, for example. But these people know how to keep their mouths shut… If we are already on this topic, how did **you** find out?" He had initially been completely gobsmacked when she had brought it up yesterday, but Pansy calmed him by telling him it had come up with the two of them. He was now more interested in how the redhead would reply to the question, since she couldn't know Pans had already told him how she knew.

Ginny watched the blond closely over the edge of her mug and noticed that glimmer of curiosity in his eyes again, which set of all kinds of alarms in her head. _Is this some kind of test from him?_ She pondered him for a few more seconds before making her decision. "Pansy and I were talking yesterday and it just sort of came up… I was made to believe it wasn't such a big deal?"

Downplaying her previous reaction to the news seemed like the best course of action and Draco couldn't completely conceal his surprise when she answered his question truthfully. Ginny also had to admit she got a real kick out of making Slytherins show their emotions, even if just for a few seconds. It was such a rare occurrence, and so rewarding to the redhead who loved to try to decipher people's thoughts just from their facial expressions and posture. As far as she was concerned, it was a form of art.

"It's not, as long as you keep it to yourself," he returned, though he was now looking her over with a different shine in his eye which she couldn't quite decipher.

"Oh, look at the time, I should get going," she exclaimed with fake surprise in her voice and leaned in to peck Draco on the cheek before picking up her gown and heading for the portrait. "Be seeing you, Malfoy!"

"Damn sure you will," he called behind her begrudgingly, knowing full well that she escaped the opportunity for more questioning and potential new knowledge for him.

* * *

><p>Reaching the dungeons and entering the Slytherin common room, Ginny was in a much better mood than before, but when she read the new announcement on the noticeboard, her face split into a grin.<p>

_**Quidditch try-outs will take place next Friday after lunch hours. **_


	16. Chapter 16

**Woo, summer! I'll keep this short: I hope y'all are enjoying yourselves as much as I am and that you'll enjoy this chapter just as much!**

**P.S.: The missing bedroom scene from the party is published on my profile as a standalone one-shot, if anyone is interested. Bunny out! **

* * *

><p>She was woken up by the sun shining through her stained window, reflecting a myriad of colours all over her face and the sheets. Such mornings were becoming increasingly rare, since they were dragging towards the end of autumn, but that made them all the more special.<p>

Rubbing at her eyes, Hermione threw the covers off and headed for the bathroom. Her brain wouldn't begin to work until she took her morning shower, which is why the girl immediately stepped into the cabin and started the water.

It was just the right temperature and the brunette relaxed under its steady flow, coaxing her muscles awake. _God, I do so love magic..._ It was wonderful that she didn't have to worry if she'd have enough time to dry her hair and such, magic coming in handy every time, making mornings much more stress free. Every summer when she was forced to conform to the muggle way of life she missed it dearly.

Having finally woken up, she turned the water off and got out of the shower, drying her skin off with the towel and giving herself a once-over in the mirror. There were nasty dark circles under her eyes, but she couldn't figure out why. She felt more rested and relaxed than she had in a long time, so it made no sense that she looked like she had gotten barely any sleep.

Shrugging, Hermione strolled back to her room and noticed a ball gown and her lacy panties on the floor.

_Right, the party yesterday... But why didn't I put them away?_ It was very unlike her to leave clothes lying around like that. In Hermione's room, everything had its place and that was how she liked it, knowing exactly where to find a certain thing when she had need of it. Frowning, she picked up the gown and carried it over to the dresser, trying to remember what would have caused her to drop it just like that.

Rummaging around in her recent memories, she found them to be unpleasantly full of black holes. The begging of the eve was clear in her mind, but as it went on, more and more things were missing from her memories. The last thing she could recall was sitting on the floor with Ginny and drinking generous amounts of Vodka, but after that, the ending of the night was missing.

This frustrated her immensely and she slammed the dresser shut. When she bent down to pick up the panties, however, a glimmer from under the bed caught her eye. Fetching the mysterious object, she realised it was a mask - the charcoal masterpiece Ginny had worn.

_What the hell is it doing under my bed?_

Even more determined than before to find out what had happened last night, Hermione made another trip to the dresser to fetch her favourite jumper and jeans, only to find them missing.

The morning was definitely starting out oddly and she needed a cup of coffee to get her started on unravelling the mystery. Satisfying herself with a warm hoodie and dark jeans that were just a bit too tight for her to feel entirely comfortable in them, she left the room and went straight for the kitchenette to put some coffee on.

"Morning to you too, Granger. Slept well?"

The drawl coming from one of the couches behind her back was unmistakable, of course, and she had half a mind to ignore it. Then she reminded herself that she was trying to get along with Malfoy for the student body's sake and with a sickening smile, Hermione turned around.

"Oh, I slept wonderfully, thank you. Great work with cleaning up after yesterday! Did you call on your daddy's slaves again?"

Malfoy mirrored her expression, grinning right back. "Oh, but of course. If it weren't for me, the poor little things wouldn't have anything to do. You know how miserable that makes them, right?" The blond loved to shove that argument in her face whenever they reached the topic of house elves, for whose rights Hermione still fought with vigour.

Frowning at him, she turned back to the stove and angrily waved her wand, making the beverage boil immediately, some of it spilling over the pot. While cursing under her breath, Hermione poured the remainder of the liquid into a mug, mopping up the mess she had made.

"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Malfoy chuckled from behind and this time, the brunette did ignore him, pouring some milk into her coffee.

"Oh come on, talk to Uncle Draco. Weasley said you two got in an argument yesterday..." That was enough to get her attention and Hermione turned around, now interested in what he had to say. "You talked to Ginny?"

"Why of course, we chatted over tea. She left about ten minutes before you got up..." He said seemingly casually, not even looking up from the book he was reading. Hermione hadn't noticed the small smile that had played over his features for a mere second and instead took a seat across from him.

"She left... So you're saying she stayed the night here?" The girl couldn't help but try digging for information, especially since she had found the redhead's mask in her room.

"Well of course she-" Malfoy looked up and a grin spread over his features. "Granger, you naughty girl! How much did you have to drink last night?"

That was enough to shake Hermione out of her inquisitive mode as she realised who exactly she was talking to and how he couldn't be trusted. Slytherins always had a hidden agenda, especially when it was a case of Malfoy joking around with her. Something here was fishy.

"I drank however much I wanted to," she answered with the cold detachment with which she usually spoke to the blond. "Now if you'll excuse me, the library is waiting."

Finishing her coffee, she could hear Malfoy cough with a sound suspiciously similar to 'bookworm', but she merely dropped her mug off in the sink and left their commons.

* * *

><p>An hour and a half later found her bent over one of the more secluded tables in the library, two stacks of books piled in front of her. The left one were the ones she had already gotten through and had proven to be useless, while the right pile was yet to be examined.<p>

She was currently pouring over a volume titled _Useful Potions for the Young Wizard_. While Hermione hated the book, finding it to be incredibly sexist, it appeared to be promising. She was currently on a section about hangover potions and was hoping to find one that would remedy her alcohol-induced memory loss.

Her search was just starting to bear fruits, but when she started reading the ingredients and preparation part of the recipe and her face turned sour.

It wasn't that she was bad in Potions of course, have you heard of Hermione Granger being bad at anything? No, the thing that bothered her was the ingredient list. Aside from a few standard ones that she had for the potions classes, there was some seriously weird stuff listed in there. And after a second glance at the preparation instructions, it wasn't exactly the easiest brew to make either.

Resigning to solving that problem with a full stomach, Hermione checked out the book and headed to the Great Hall for lunch.

* * *

><p>When Draco finally walked into their commons two hours after lunch, she was almost ready to give up. Pretending like she totally hadn't been waiting for him, she kept her eyes fixed on her book and only spoke up when he was already halfway across the room.<p>

"Hey, Malfoy? You're pretty into potions, right?" Trying to appear disinterested, she kept her eyes glued to the text but was probably failing to accomplish the task.

"Yes, why do you care, Granger? Don't tell me you need help," he scoffed at her and fixed her with that horrible arrogant sneer she hated so much.

"Don't be ridiculous, my knowledge is perfectly adequate. I was just wondering if you are stocked in some of the less common ingredients. I'd be perfectly satisfied to pay you what they're worth if need be." She examined her fingernails, avoiding eye contact but perfectly aware that Malfoy was scrutinizing her.

"Well, it depends on what you're looking for… And I don't need your money, Granger. I would, however, be willing to trade them for information."

Hermione weighed her options. On the one hand, Malfoy was up to something, but on the other, she really, **really** wanted to remember last night's events. "Show me your stock and we can talk."

Following the blond and entering his room for the very first time, she was surprised by how tidy it was. Even she, being unnaturally obsessed with order, found it up to par with her standards. He strolled casually to a table where he had a little cauldron set up, a greyish liquid slowly simmering in it, and opened the adjoining cupboard, filled to the brim with various ingredients.

Some things looked disgusting and some downright disturbing, but a glance located what she needed. Steeling herself, she looked back to Malfoy. "What kind of information are we talking about here, Malfoy?"

He grinned at her, clearly satisfied with how things were proceeding, which only made Hermione even more hesitant, but she refused to back out of this.

"Well, how about we talk about one miss Ginevra Weasley."


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry about the delay, I know it's been a long while. Honestly, I should stop lying to you and me both and just accept that I am a person who really can't get a chapter out quicker than in a month, so it's safe to say that's more or less my updating schedule. Try to keep in mind that I think this up as I go, which makes it pretty hard to go on when writer's block hits. Anyway, enough of my rambling. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! Bunny out.**

* * *

><p>"Ginny?" Hermione stuttered, genuinely surprised. "I don't really see what I could tell you that you don't already know, Malfoy. I mean, you two are friends right? She keeps her heart on her sleeve." Malfoy levelled her with a meaningful look and she hung her head. "She used to, anyway."<p>

The partial responsibility she felt for the redhead's changes over the summer nudged painfully at the ball of guilt lodged inside her chest.

"Besides, why do you want to question me about her? Why not just ask her yourself? I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate you snooping around her past." She crossed her hands defiantly over her chest and stared at him with the 'you ought to be ashamed of yourself' look that she so often used on the younger students she caught doing something wrong. It had been perfected over her years of patrolling the castle and chastising students she caught outside after hours.

"Oh cut the crap Granger. You think I can't see what you're trying to do? Stalling won't get you anywhere. Either you agree to give me information and I in turn provide ingredients or you get the hell out of my room."

Hermione bit her lip and scrunched up her face, but really, the decision had already been made in her mind. It's not like she was going to be giving up much about her former friend, the girl didn't have many secrets anyway. And besides, Malfoy was surely already aware the redhead had been smitten with Harry, which was the biggest thing Hermione had on her.

"Fine, but you only get to ask five questions." The blond observed her for a few seconds but in the end only shrugged. "Fine by me."

Malfoy placed a hand on the small of her back as if to guide her out of the room, but Hermione merely swatted it away and made her way into their common room with her chin high in the air. After she settled comfortably in her favourite armchair and her roommate took a seat on the big sofa across from her, she inclined her head to let him know she was ready.

"Splendid, let's get started. How did Ginny take to being expelled last year?" Hermione eyed him curiously, not understanding why he would want to know such a thing.

"Well, she was devastated, obviously. Hogwarts was like a second home to her. I can't even begin to imagine what I would feel like if I were in her place, not that that could ever happen." She smiled softly and her eyes glazed over with a faraway look for a few seconds before she continued.

"That sadness quickly shifted into anger though. She got over the loss and completely cut herself off from everyone, stopped answering letters and all. Gosh, I remember being so worried about her, I'd even write to her weekly to try to entice her into talking, but she would never reply. I only got to see her again at the end of the summer and she was a completely different person by that time. I'd say she worked through some serious issues she was battling with for a long time. I just resent the direction she took when making the changes that were long overdue…"

Blushing when she realised she had gotten completely lost in her answer, telling Malfoy more than was necessary, she quickly shut her mouth. Her roommate's expression gave out absolutely nothing and she fidgeted under his gaze as he studied her with curiosity.

Decidedly uncomfortable under his scrutiny, she diverted her eyes. "Anyway, that's as much as I can tell you about this. Next question?"

Malfoy looked at her in silence for a few more seconds before coming up with a new question. "How capable did Ginny use to be in school?" Despite finding the question peculiar, Hermione answered.

"Well, she was more or less average. She had her stronger and weaker subjects like everyone else, though. Godric, she used to be horrible at Transfiguration and it made McGonagall absolutely miserable. I'd sit with her in the common room late into the night and practice the spells with her for so long that she'd either finally be able to cast them correctly or we'd both fall asleep on the couch." A fond smile of reminiscence flitted across her face as she remembered those times. "In contrast to that, she's absolutely brilliant with Potions. You'd think that she'd hate the subject because of Snape, but I guess she's just so good he can't even insult her on her work. I think potions and quidditch are about the only subjects I have ever spied her reading a book on for fun. Absolutely barmy, that woman."

If Hermione had been more attentive in that moment, she would have noticed a smile that made a quick appearance on the blonde's face, but as she hadn't been, the expression was smoothed back into a poker face before she had time to notice the little change.

"Since you already mentioned it, how about quidditch? I remember she was on your team last year and performed quite well."

The brunette across from him rolled her eyes and sighed. "I seriously can't understand everyone's fascination with that game. It's just a couple of balls being thrown about, what's the big deal? Half of this school takes it way more seriously than their bloody exams!"

Malfoy had to chuckle at that, since Granger just successfully reinforced her bookworm-y reputation in his mind. It couldn't possibly have been because he was actually finding her to be an interesting person. "Not answering my question, darling," he reminded her with a slight smile still playing around the corners of his mouth.

In reply, she playfully blew away a stray curl that had fallen in her eyes and actually smiled at him in return. This wasn't turning out to be the awful interrogation she had been expecting at all. Truthfully, she was in a much better mood talking to him than she had been in quite a long while. Maybe she should give him a chance to redeem himself sometime. That time was not right now, however, and Hermione composed herself to finally give him a proper answer.

"She's pretty good I guess, though I'm no expert. She finally got on the team last year when a lot of the old crew graduated, same as Ron finally got his keeper position. I dare say she's a much better quidditch player than him though, and aside from being our team's best chaser, she was also the seeker reserve. I think she's been training a lot over the summer too," she remembered their first encounter in August when the girl had been executing some wicked-looking feints. "You should totally give her a chance if she goes to try out, Malfoy. It's her passion and I doubt you'd regret putting her on the team."

The blonde shrugged, indicating that it wasn't in his hands. "If she goes to try out and she's good enough, I don't see why not. The decision is Blaise's anyway, I'm not the captain. That's enough about quidditch, though. Besides Potter who we all know she was crushing hard on, do you know of anyone else she was into?"

Hermione had to think about that question for a while and a small crease appeared on her forehead as she contemplated it. "Well, she dated Dean Thomas and Michael Corner last year, but she wasn't truly interested in any of the two. For as long as I've known her, the girl has been head over heels for Harry and Thomas and Corner were merely tools to try to elicit a jealous response from him. Pointless, though. He'll probably never get over seeing her merely as Ron's little sister, and even if he did, I think she finally sobered up this summer and got over him. Maybe that was a big part of her change, her world was basically revolving around him all these years."

There was a faraway look in her eyes and she seemed to be half thinking aloud, so Malfoy was very careful when he spoke, trying not to rouse her out of this state, seeing as she was divulging quite a lot.

"You didn't… Support her in her pursuit of Potter?" Despite his carefulness, Hermione's eyes came back into focus at the sound of his voice.

"Well not really, no. It's not like I was stopping her from trying or anything, but I knew they just weren't right together, and Harry wasn't looking like he was going to recognise her attentions anytime in this lifetime. A beautiful girl like that shouldn't waste her life pining after a guy that was never going to see her for the amazing person she is."

A certain rosiness tinged her cheeks and another barely-there smile passed Malfoy's lips. "If not Potter, which boy is deserving of her then?"

The colour of Hermione's cheeks darkened a bit more and she stared at the carpet as she answered. "How the hell should I know, am I a bloody seer? I'm sure someone will come along."

One golden eyebrow lifted at her uncharacteristic use of profanities and he promptly uncrossed his legs and got up. "Well, I am satisfied with your replies Granger, you even let me have six questions, so thank you for that."

Calmly walking over to the kitchenette, he started on tea and stopped while getting his mug out of the cupboard. "Shall I make enough for two?"

It was a blatantly nice gesture and the brunette's jaw dropped before she quickly regained her composure. "Yes, please." Who would have thought Malfoy would be the first to extend a sort of truce offer? It seemed he wasn't as bad as she had had him pegged to be.

In a flash, their tea was ready and he carried her mug over, handing it to her before motioning towards his room. "I'm a man of my word. If you want to collect your ingredients today, it'll have to be right now, because I'm expecting visitors in a half an hour."

Hermione immediately felt hot in the cheeks again, knowing full well what that meant for him, the memory of him sandwiched between a wall and a hunky, chocolate skinned Slytherin flaring up in her mind. She had been so caught up in trying to find out what she couldn't remember of last night that she completely forgot about the things that she hadn't forgotten.

"O-okay, I'll take them now," she stumbled over her words and Malfoy grinned at her, leading the way into his room and watching with quiet satisfaction as she gathered up the ingredients, sneaking a peek at the list she was reading from. The knowing smile that spread over his face was quite troubling, but a flustered Hermione gathering up jars was unable to see it, her back turned towards the smirking Head Boy.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, I'm itching to try a chapter from Draco's perspective, but I jump back and forth between Hermione and Ginny POV as it is, so it would probably be too much, wouldn't it? If you'd like a chapter from his perspective as much as I would like to write it though, please, <span>please<span> let me know, because your feedback is priceless to me! Can you take that minute to leave me a comment, pretty please? It makes my day every single time my inbox holds a mail titled Review of Of The Lion Who Grew Scales. I am at your mercy, my dear readers!**


	18. Chapter 18

**The fabulous Deadly Bunny finally brings you a new chapter and it's longer than ever! Not so action packed though, I'm afraid. It was a real monster to write too, I'll tell you. Anyway, as always, enjoy! And leave a review, if you'd be so kind.**

* * *

><p>The week that followed Draco's masked ball passed very differently for Hermione and Ginny.<p>

The first one rushed back to her room during every possible break during class to make sure her potion was proceeding as it should be.

When she had been getting ready for bed the first day she had started the quest for lost memories, she found a mark on the base of her neck that she had completely overlooked in the morning. The implications of said hickey left her head spinning and Hermione subjected herself to some serious introspection. It wasn't the first time that she had entertained the thought of possibly not being heterosexual, but she was seriously worried about what that would mean for her were it true.

Her parents were quite open-minded and the brunette grew up in an environment that was very accepting of people who somehow deviated from society's perception of normal. The wizarding world in general, however, took a very different standpoint when it came to homosexuality. If she truly were gay, she'd have to hide that fact very well as to not be ostracized.

For that reason the image of Malfoy and Zabini making out in plain sight refused to leave her mind. Two boys from very influential and notoriously traditional wizarding families, not only gay but also apparently completely at ease with that fact. Obviously, the crowd at the party had been very elite, but there were still around ten people or so besides them in attending. Were all of them okay with the two making out as well? Was this some kind of upper class thing, like how it had been completely acceptable for Ancient Greek aristocrats to have a young boy on the side to have fun with when they were bored with their wife?

The week and all the things she thought about in its duration left Hermione extremely frustrated. These were questions that she couldn't answer by reading books, no matter how much time she devoted to said activity, since these things would obviously not be documented anywhere. The old Wizarding families were intensely private and even mentions of scandalous things such as incest were extremely hard to find, no matter that everyone knew it had gone on in the not-so-distant past.

The only way she could possibly confirm or condemn her theories was to get an insider's account of goings-on in such a family, but asking any of the few members of the old families she knew was completely out of the question. She'd just have to find a different way.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Ginevra's week passed quite differently. The first day, she managed to completely ignore the nagging fears, concerns and glaringly obvious questions left in the wake of Draco's party, an activity she was very good at and used to do every time she was faced with something uncomfortable. She also managed to dodge her three Slytherin friends for the duration of the entire weekend, attending meals at odd hours and escaping out into the cold autumn weather whenever possible, sometimes just strolling the grounds, other times honing her skills on the empty Quidditch pitch since none of the houses had assembled a team as of yet.<p>

Monday came all too soon, though, and having to conform to a schedule just like everyone else, Ginny sat down next to the Silver Trio at breakfast. They chatted as if everything was completely normal, and for the first time, the redhead entertained the thought that to them, it just might be.

It had been her first gathering of the sort, but they had probably attended tens of them. What if this was what every such party more or less looked like? The young Weasley was torn between being appalled and enticed by the thought.

They parted ways to attend their separate classes without the evening ever coming up in the conversation and Ginny spent the rest of her day feeling much more at ease, since it had obviously not been a big deal to them, certainly not something to interrogate her about. She dismissed the nagging inner voice telling her she'd have to face the consequences sooner or later.

After dinner, Draco and Blaise excused themselves, apparently having some urgent matters to attend to, making Ginny blush and her mind run wild with possibilities now that she knew the exact nature of the boys' relationship. She was so caught up in her thoughts, in fact, that she followed Pansy on autopilot, not really paying attention till the girl waved a hand before her eyes, laughing at her complete absence of mind.

"Sorry, I was caught up in my thoughts," she calmly replied. Only then did she notice that they had arrived to the Slytherin common room, with one very confusing detail: it was completely empty. "Umm, Pansy? Where are all the students?" she gestured around the deserted room while plopping down into one of the armchairs by the fire. The dark-haired girl took residence in the one on her left, giggling and eyes sparkling with mirth as she took in the former Gryffindor. "You really did completely zone out, didn't you? How could you not notice all the stairs? We're in the Room of Requirement, you adorable kitten. I figured we'd want some privacy for this conversation."

Ginny looked around the room, time and again amazed by its abilities; it was a perfect replica of their common room eight floors below. Shaking her head at her own ability to tune out everything, she now registered the other thing her classmate had said. "What conversation, Pansy?" she tried to play dumb, hoping against all hope that this wasn't exactly what she thought it was. The 'do I seem that stupid' look that the girl levelled her with was enough to confirm all suspicions.

"Fine, okay," the redhead gave in, knowing resistance was futile and that she actually needed to deal with this anyway. That it would only be her and Pansy put her more at ease too. She trusted the girl quite a bit more than she did the boys and it made her feel much more relaxed. She wasn't going to make it easy on her though.

"Well?! How was it?" A huge grin bloomed on her friend's face, a rare occurrence that made her look even more beautiful than she usually was, momentarily surprising Ginny. "How was what?" she asked, now genuinely confused, to which her companion replied with an incredulous look. "Oh come on! I saw you making out with Granger and then you two disappeared into her room! Don't tell me that you didn't get it on? Oh, and by the way, I give you points for acting, kitten. I would never have guessed you swung that way, even though my sixth sense has yet to be wrong."

Shocked into stillness, the redhead just sat there, processing all that had just been said. To her complete surprise, the want to gush about the night's events to a friendly ear was the first thing that bubbled up from the sea of confusion that was Ginny's thoughts. Cancelling out all else for the moment, she let it wash over her and a tentative smile took over her face, matching the eager one on her dark-haired companion.

"Yeah, we did, we totally did get it on!" she finally let burst out, and as the words left her, she felt surprisingly relieved. "And it was sooo amazing, too! I mean, yeah, I don't remember all the details, I drank a lot that evening, but damn! That girl sure knows her stuff!"

In reply to her enthusiastic outburst Pansy chuckled and regarded her with blatant curiosity. "How about you elaborate on the subject of the stuff that she knows?" she winked and settled deeper into the cosy armchair. Ginny proceeded to recount the night's events to the older girl who nodded and replied at all the right times, spurring the redhead on until she had nothing more to say.

"Frankly, I'm surprised. I always thought of Granger as a total prude," Pansy grinned and uncrossed her legs. "But it seems like she did a pretty good job. Where do you think she got the knowledge from?" At that, Ginny giggled and brushed a few stray hairs behind her ear. "Honestly? She probably read about it and memorised everything." The dark-haired girl rolled her eyes and then fixed her friend with a slightly less humorous look. "So, when did you first start thinking about the possibility of liking girls?"

All traces of a smile disappeared from her face and she let out a deep sigh. "After Friday. It never even crossed my mind before that… But since Hermione obviously didn't rape me, there was mutual interest in the thing. And honestly, thinking back, there might have been some little clues all along, you know… Noticing some things other girls never did, having strange thoughts pop up in my mind when I was looking at a friend, having reactions to things girls said and did and explaining them away to myself as coincidences.."

She leaned forward onto her knees and stared off into the crackling fire, her eyes in a faraway place. "I guess I never really let the possibility cross my mind. Remember how I reacted when you told me Draco was gay? Or even later, when I made the connection between him and Blaise…" Pansy merely nodded, letting her know she should continue. "Well, that was because it made me scared, made me face the fact that this wasn't some abhorrent, abnormal thing, that people who like their own gender are, in all actuality, just like us."

Ginny pulled her feet up onto the armchair, hugging them like that would give her some shelter from the harsh truths of the world. "What shocked me even more, though, was how okay all three of you are with this. I grew up believing my family was very loving and accepting, but they are anything but lenient toward homosexuality. It scares me to think how they would react if I were to actually come out to them… Not that I'm saying I'm gay or anything…" A hot blush tinted her cheeks and her eyes darted up to her friend, almost begging her to tell her she was right.

Pansy contemplated the distressed redhead a few moments more before deciding on her course of action. "This isn't a one or the other situation, you know, Ginny. You can like boys and girls, you can like ones more than the others, you can actually like boys in general but have a few exceptions where girls attract you too… It's a whole spectrum of possibilities, not either gay or straight." She smiled understandingly and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Most of all, though, don't take this all so seriously! It's not life or death, and besides, you've just started exploring this. Give yourself time to figure out who you are and who you want to shag. No one is pressing you to decide in this very moment."

Eyes wide open, Ginny was staring at her friend in a completely new light. She knew the joking, teasing, sarcastic side of Pansy, but this calm wisdom was something she had not seen from her before. The wonder must have been evident in her eyes because the older girl snickered.

"It's easy to preach once you've gone through it, you know," she winked and caused the redhead to drop her mouth open as well. "The mentally retarded look doesn't really suit you," Pansy closed her mouth with a finger on her chin and pressed a cute kiss on her nose before pulling her to her feet. "Don't look so shocked, kitten, it's really quite unbecoming," she teased once more, exiting the Room of Requirement with a shaken redhead in tow.

The rest of the week was spent processing all the moving things that had happened in such a short span of time, slowly coming to terms with her friends' complete acceptance and trying to take Pansy's advice to not take it all so seriously. Surprisingly, she wasn't even doing so bad and when Friday finally came, Quidditch try-outs took everything off her mind as she geared up and headed out into the cold morning air.


	19. Chapter 19

**Damn, I really outdid myself this time! Longer than ever(again! is this gonna become a regular thing?) and also slightly earlier than usual! It took me less than a month yay! Enjoy, don't hate me for all the boring Quidditch stuff, and review pretty please! Kisses, Bunny**

* * *

><p>On Friday, Hermione didn't bother with going to lunch in the Great Hall. She was so eager to get up to her room and finish the potion that she made use of the house elf assigned to her personally for the first time since becoming the Head girl.<p>

"Minny!" The little creature popped into existence immediately and bowed deeply to the brunette, at which she blushed deeply. "Please, none of that, Minny. You are my equal! I usually wouldn't do this, but it is quite an urgent situation. Would you mind bringing me lunch to my room?" The light green house elf smiled widely and nodded in and enthusiastic non-verbal reply before a loud pop signalled its departure.

Feeling disgusted for exploiting the poor thing like that, Hermione willed herself to focus entirely on the potion. Reaching the portrait, she breathed the password and nearly ran the short distance to her bedroom, slamming the door wide open and whipping out her wand to perform a few diagnostic spells. Everything seemed to be in order so the brunette consulted the book propped open on her desk one last time before adding the final ingredient and stirring the clear, odourless liquid ten times anti-clockwise. With great care Hermione then moved the cauldron off the fire and cleaned the entire desktop, setting a single glass in the middle.

Suddenly, nerves gripped her insides. Did she truly want to remember? Was she even ready to? What if she actually suppressed the memory because it was so bad? Maybe it was just her mind protecting itself?

Her rapid downward spiral was interrupted by Malfoy knocking and leaning through her door. "That potion of yours ready?" Since that talk about Ginny, the two had slowly slipped into a comfortable familiarity. They had a long way to go before Hermione would dare call their relationship a friendship, but they were on a good path and Draco was surprisingly pleasant when he wasn't being a sarcastic asshole.

"Yeah, just took it off the fire. All set and done!" He had been prodding her about the potion all week but she didn't let up, never letting him know what she was brewing. "Well, good luck with it, whatever you need it for. I'm heading out to the try-outs for the team." He had already turned around, but then apparently remembered something else, because he looked at her over his shoulder. "Want to join me?"

Surprised at his invite, Hermione threw a nervous glance back at her potion. Maybe she could let it sit for an hour or two more… "Can I? I mean, I'm not a Slytherin." Draco shrugged and threw her a relaxed smile. "It's just try-outs, it's not like the team makeup is a secret after all the players are chosen. Besides, I trust you not to go mouthing off to the Gryffindor team." The blatant show of trust on his side completely threw her for a loop, not sure with what she had earned it, but flattered by his display anyway. "Okay, just let me grab my stuff."

She cast a swift stasis charm on the potion so it wouldn't get contaminated in any way while she was gone. With the corner of her eye she noticed a sandwich and a glass of pumpkin juice on her bedside table, clearly the lunch she had asked the house elf for but forgot about. Throwing on a warm cloak and wrapping the vibrant red and gold scarf around her neck, Hermione picked up the still slightly warm sandwich and joined Draco.

Their walk to the Quidditch pitch was pleasant, spent small-talking and discussing some changes in the patrol schedules that Malfoy had come up with. Before she knew it, they were already at the big wooden stands and he left her to go change into his gear.

Not in any kind of rush, the brunette climbed the many stairs that led onto the stands and took a seat near the edge where she had a clear view of the pitch, munching on the remnants of her now-cold sandwich. As a few more spectators trickled onto the stands, she was spared a few questioning looks, what with her glaringly obvious Gryffindor appearance, but no one voiced a complaint.

* * *

><p>The cold air whipped at her face as she exited the changing rooms. Despite having clasped her hair into a ponytail, the red tresses were long enough to fly all around her face as the wild wind blew all around her. She fell in line besides a burly boy who was taller than her by almost a head and took in all the other competition. There were roughly twenty people on the pitch, males outnumbering females by far. In fact, there was only one other girl besides herself, which wasn't all that surprising, since many Slytherin girls turned their noses up at Quidditch. Their loss, honestly.<p>

Ginny wasn't intimidated by her numerous competition in the least. She knew she was damn good and no-one was going to steal the spot on the team she deserved. The murmur of people talking quieted and the redhead knew it to be a sign that Blaise had stepped out onto the grass.

The lean team Captain slowly strolled over to them and stopped right in the middle, taking in each and every one. As his eyes passed over her there was the slightest twinkle of a smile that was gone in the next instant and Ginny knew full well that he wasn't going to cut her any slack just because they hung out. She needed to be good to make his team and she knew it.

"Quite a few of you have showed up on this fine autumn afternoon. You all think you've got what it takes to make the team, huh? We'll see about that…" Very quickly, he divided them into groups based on the position they were trying for, barking orders that couldn't be overheard despite the strong wind. The chaser group, a part of which was Ginny was the biggest one, while there were fewest keepers.

"We're going to do these try-outs in three parts; first the keepers and chasers. The chasers each get to throw three shots at each of you, so we're looking at both at the same time. After we're done with that, we move on to the beaters. Since there are four of you, this is going to work perfectly. We divide you into two teams and watch what you are capable of, after we've reached our decision, we add the seekers into the mix and they get to play in an actual practice match while the rest of you are actually already training. Any questions?" No one spoke up and Blaise barked at them to get their asses into the air.

Ginny was impressed with the way Blaise conducted his try-outs, since the evaluation was much more wholesome than when she had tried for the Gryffindor team. All she had had to do was land a few shots and she was in.

She watched her competition as she was nearing her turn to take shots at the keepers. The chaser that had been part of the team last year, Riley, stood out with his sheer arrogance, boasting at the others how one of the spots was surely his. _We'll see about that, Bighead._

It was her turn and she felt Zabini's eyes on her as she accepted the big leather ball. Having watched the first keeper before, she noticed he was lacking when it came to blocking the left hoop. Leaning down against her broom, she shot towards the right one and the keeper dashed in that direction. The moment he moved, she made a sharp turn and scored easily through the left hoop. Retreating to the starting position, she caught the quaffle as it was passed back to her and got ready for her second shot.

The keeper was clearly pissed and she could see his determination, but he was gripping his broom so tightly that his knuckles turned white and she knew he wouldn't be able to react in time. Like a rocket, she shot towards the middle and could see his surprise; after all, she was flying right towards him. When she was almost in the forbidden area, she suddenly dropped and the quaffle flew right between the keeper's legs and through the middle hoop. Ginny thought she heard a faint whoop from the stands and whipped her head around, zeroing onto where she knew Pansy was sitting and waved to the girl.

A grinning Blaise passed her the ball and she got ready to tackle keeper #2. This was the guy who had played on the Slytherin team for the last three years and she knew he'd be much tougher to fool. She tried to outmanoeuvre him with her first shot, but he was fast enough and deflected the quaffle with a smug smile. Refusing to let herself get frustrated, she readied for the second shot. Deciding to try to just go with brute force, she shot forward and hurtled the ball through the right hoop as hard as she could. The keeper threw himself at it, but it had enough momentum that his fingers simply gave way to it and it scored.

Ginny pumped her fist with a triumphant cry and accepted her quaffle for the last two shots with a shit-eating grin. The last keeper hadn't really been doing well before, but after seeing her in action he looked pretty intimidated and managed to block one of her shots by pure dumb luck while the other one went by uninterrupted.

She joined the group of chasers that had done their part, feeling confident about her performance and waited for the others to finish. They were done pretty quickly and Blaise announced keeper #2 was going to get the spot for the fourth year in a row and keeper #1 was going to be the reserve. The third candidate left the pitch looking pretty miserable while the Captain called a five minute break before they moved on to the chaser/beater try-outs.

Ginny flew down to the stands, landing next to Pansy, who was cradling a mug of tea with a warming charm on it, so the liquid wasn't affected by the chilly wind blowing all around them. Stealing it from her and taking a few long sips, she flashed the older girl a brilliant grin. "So am I awesome or am I awesome?"

Pansy laughed in earnest and replied in a mock-serious voice that she was awesome, naturally. "Did you notice Granger came to watch the try-outs?" She motioned to the left with her head and Ginny raised her eyes in surprise, only to meet with the Gryffindor's chocolate ones. The other one immediately averted her gaze and the redhead, too, turned back to her friend. "What is she doing here?" She couldn't for the life of her figure out what the brunette was doing in the stands and her presence made her feel more receptive to every little thing.

"Well, I'd say she came to watch a certain hottie in action, but I'm just guessing, of course…" Pansy winked at her. Ginny threw another glance to her left, but Hermione was focused on the action on the pitch, which reminded her she should get back into the air. She mounted her broom again and leaned down to peck her friend on the cheek. "Keep an eye on her for me, would you? I'm really curious why she came." As she kicked off, she could hear Pansy's mocking 'Yes, ma'am' and in a second, she re-joined the group of chasers in the air.

Fifteen minutes later found her sweaty but grinning like an idiot as she flew towards Blaise to hear his verdict. "Good job, most of you did pretty well! Not all of you get the spot though, of course. Ginny, Thomas, you two are first string, Riley and Victor second. Anyone got anything to say?"

The redhead could fly without the help of a broom, she was so happy, but she settled for crushing Blaise in a bone-shattering hug, to which he responded with a chuckle and 'You deserve it, kitten'. An added bonus to her new spot on the team was also the seething, purple face of a pissed of Riley. He had been cast as a reserve and clearly wanted to strangle something but knew better than to stand up to the Captain. Said Captain then announced the two beaters and the reserve, which only left the seekers to be selected. Blaise ordered another five minutes of break and Ginny made a beeline for Pansy.

"I got the spot!" She dished out another bone-crushing hug for her friend before taking a seat next to her and stealing her mug only to find it empty. "How are you doing with the stalking?" Pansy giggled and obliged her. "Well, what can I possibly tell you? She was watching the game. It's not like I can pinpoint exactly who she was following with her eyes. She did smile a lot every time you scored or did a really cool manoeuver, though. But so did I, so I'm not really sure that means anything. You are one crazy girl when there's a broom under you, Ginny. Makes me wonder just how you are when there's a person there instead."

The redhead felt her cheeks grow hot and elbowed the older girl who was grinning like an idiot. "I still think she came to watch you, though. You shagged her, for Merlin's sake! And Granger doesn't seem like a one-night stand type to me." Ginny shrugged, not ready to deal with her feelings about the whole thing just yet and grabbed her broom in favour of a reply. "Gotta get back up there, darling."

The last part of the try-outs dragged on and on, but after forty minutes the Snitch finally showed its shiny ass and Draco snatched it out of the air right in front of a competitor's nose. Both having won a spot on the team, they high fived and hugged, flying off into the changing rooms in high spirits, Blaise not far behind.

As they came back onto the pitch showered and changed, Pansy awaited them and they headed past the stands when Hermione joined their group and congratulated them on their success. Ginny was shocked into silence as she proceeded to fall into easy conversation with Draco as they continued towards the school.

The realisation that Draco and Hermione got along filled her with an unsettling mixture of incredulity and joy and instead of reading into why exactly that was, she just kept paddling on down the river of De-Nile.


	20. Chapter 20

**Has it really been a month already? Damn, time flies when you're... Well, certainly not having fun, unfortunately. But I did manage to write up Chapter 20, so hurrah! This one contains a pretty graphic scene where I shamelessly recycle the one-shot I wrote for their night. If you are not into sex scenes, simply skip everyhing that comes after the H&G. For all the other perverts out there, enjoy!(hopefully, anyway)  
><strong>**And as always, review if you'd be so kind, it means the world to me. Bunny out.**

* * *

><p>After the try-outs, Draco invited them all over to his dorm for celebratory drinks. Ginny couldn't help but keep glancing in Hermione's direction, noting that she seemed to be completely relaxed while talking to her blond friend, something she would have never believed to be possible even a few months ago.<p>

But this year seemed to be bringing change to many things. For Ginny, it meant finally freeing herself from the crushing weights of her family's expectations and her childhood love for the Boy Who Lived, completely rediscovering herself in a new light.

By getting expelled, she was the ultimate disappointment for her parents, even though she managed to receive enough O.W.L.s to rival Percy's score after taking them additionally in the summer. And like that wasn't enough, Ginny was expressing a big interest in Quidditch, which, according to her mother, was completely unacceptable. It was a girl's place to be a kind, docile, obedient wife, not some wannabe independent tart who was trying to get into a male-dominated field. Never mind that Molly didn't follow half of those archaic beliefs, but enforced them upon her only daughter anyway. Talk about hypocrisy.

And then came the next blow: being sorted into Slytherin. Both of her parents having been in Gryffindor and afterwards all their children too, the prejudices connected with their rival house were practically ingrained into all of their brains. It was inconceivable that their little girl would migrate from the lion's den to the serpent's lair, the ultimate disgrace to the family. They had yet to contact her by letter or any other means, despite it being almost a month and a half since the start of school. Ron had not taken the time to talk to her either. It was like she became dead to her entire family the moment the Sorting Hat shouted Slytherin.

The longer she stayed, though, the more she was content with all the changes happening in her life. Ironically enough, she was much more herself in the new house than she had been in her old one. Slytherins put up a front for the public but were in fact a tightly knit society where honesty was highly valued, while Gryffindors put up acts for each other, pretending until they weren't even sure which was the mask and which was the real person themselves.

Her new group of friends was bitingly sarcastic but surprisingly warm and accepting at their hearts, if you managed to thaw them first.

At that very moment, Blaise was enthusiastically mussing up her hair and making jabs at her for a mistake she made on the field while Pansy just walked beside them and was rolling her eyes so intensely it was a wonder they didn't pop out. Draco and Hermione were a few steps ahead conversing casually, and even though the redhead couldn't hear what they were talking about, there was a genuine smile on the older girl's face and it filled Ginny with a warm feeling. One she decidedly ignored.

* * *

><p>They arrived into the Head's common room and she went straight for their little kitchenette, wanting to inspect their assortment of drinks and just remembered to be polite enough to ask the others what to bring them.<p>

It was a fascinating mix of comfort and discomfort to be alone in the company of the Silver Trio-turned-Quartet. She knew them all to be cold, biting and hurtful, but apparently they had a hive mind, because as soon as they saw that she was now on good terms with Malfoy, they became noticeably nicer. It confused her, because she couldn't decide which persona was more fake: the one they portrayed to the general public or the one they were playing now. Slytherins weren't turning out as expected at all and it messed with her opinion of their house.

Hermione was a perceptive girl and she didn't miss Ginny's eyes looking over at her quite a bit. It made her just that much more eager to get to the potion waiting patiently behind the closed doors of her bedroom. The bedroom that held secrets soon to be revealed to the brunette.

When she caught the redhead's eyes for the fourth time she finally had enough, excused herself from their company and hurried over to her little sanctuary. After locking and soundproofing her room, she approached the cauldron on her desk and lifted the stasis charm to find it intact.

She read over the instructions in the book a couple more times and then poured two generous ladles into her glass, watching the clear liquid form a sheen on the surface, much like oil spilt over water. Throwing caution to the wind, she drank the whole thing in three gulps and then lay down on the bed, closing her eyes and waiting for the potion to start working.

The sensation was similar to an egg being broken on top of her head, slowly seeping down to cover more and more surface, except she was experiencing the feeling on the inside, slowly dripping to envelop her entire brains.

Then she started seeing flashes of colour, zooming around beneath her eyelids. Hermione quickly identified them to be pictures, simply moving too quickly for her to be able to discern what they represented. She tried to catch one of them, make it stop so she could take a better look, but to no avail.

Her head started to hurt and she tried to open her eyes, but suddenly she was so very tired and before she knew it, Hermione was asleep.

**H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G**

_Ginny was sitting across from her, looking glorious in her ball gown and with her hair out of the usual ponytail. Her hand was caressing her cheek and Hermione was leaning into the touch, enchanted by the pleasant warmth of it._

_Only then did the redhead seem to recognise her and she appeared shocked by that discovery. Hermione, on the other hand, could only think of how appealing her companion's plump lips were. And before she knew it, Ginny was kissing her._

_After a brief moment of shock, she relaxed, closed her eyes and gave fully into the kiss. It was tentative, exploring, but quickly growing in intensity as they moved closer to each other._

_As they paused for breath, she got rid of the redhead's mask, wanting to see her face fully, and then moving in to kiss her again with even more passion, nipping at her bottom lip. Ginny responded in earnest but broke away all too early_

"_Mione, what are we doing?"_

_Shocked at the sincerity lacing her own words, the brunette responded: "Only what feels right, Ginny."_

_Their kisses skyrocketed with need after that, moving down to each other's necks, eliciting moans that would make Hermione blush fiercely on any other day. Not long after, they moved into her bedroom._

_Hermione could not believe how shamelessly she undressed Ginny, how eager the redhead was to do the same to her. As soon as they rid themselves of the heavy gowns, their heated bodies were pressed together with every inch of revealed skin, tangled in a needy kiss that brought them tumbling down onto the bed._

_The sight of the younger girl on top of her, straddling her with a wicked smile on her face and a hauntingly beautiful set of ashen lingerie hugging her curves sent a rush of heat through her body straight to her most intimate place. The fact that the girl took charge, pressing her palms into the mattress above her head and kissing her deeply didn't do a thing to alleviate the delicious ache between her thighs either._

_Soon, Ginny was moving lower and Hermione became acutely aware of the fact that her breasts were bare, since they were being tormented by light caresses, long fingers circling just around her areolas. Taking the soft mounds firmly in her palms and rolling them gently, the redhead set about driving her crazy with kisses, licks and nibbles down her neck and collarbone, suddenly sucking harshly on her pulse point to send a jolt of pleasure-pain through Hermione's nerves and surely leaving a mark. _

_Then she slid lower, taking a peaked nipple in her mouth, gently flicking it with her tongue and suckling, leaving the brunette to scratch her nails down her back and let out a breathy moan at the wonderful sensations. _

_It felt like Ginny had been playing with her breasts for an eternity and a mere few seconds at the same time when one hand slid lower to rest on her hip and finger the edge of her lacy undergarment._

_Hermione's hand shot out to stop her and clear confusion shone in the redhead's eyes at the gesture, but she quickly appeased her by flipping them over so she was nestled deliciously between the younger girl's thighs and capturing her lips in a hot kiss._

_Descending upon her neck with a hail of kisses and suckles, her hands sneaked over the creamy expanse of her lover's pale skin, sliding behind her back and unclasping the beautiful brassiere. The breasts that were now bared to her hungry eyes were smallish, but peaked with enticing rosebuds that Hermione eagerly drew into her mouth, making Ginny writhe and moan beneath her. _

_A few wet kisses later, she was looking into hot, melted chocolate orbs as the redhead begged her to touch her core and make her fall apart._

_Hermione wasted no time in sliding down her body, taking Ginny's drenched panties with her as she went and then kissing a path back up her slender legs, taking the time to grace every freckle on her inner thighs with a flick of her tongue._

_Finally, Ginny could take no more and slid a hand into her hair, giving her a slight nudge towards the apex of her thighs, the place where she craved her the most. She happily obliged and licked a path straight through the rose petals of her lover's core, making her moan out an obscenity and grasp her hair in a tighter grip. _

_Ever the quick learner, Hermione soon figured out what the redhead enjoyed most, although Ginny being very vocal about it did help quite a big amount. As she grew too worked up to be able to get out anything but deep moans, the recently acquired knowledge Hermione now had was vital to driving her crazy._

_She slid a finger into the younger girl's absolutely dripping core, continuing her torment and following the undulations of her hips as she neared her peak. A final curl of the finger inside her and a suckle directly over Ginny's bundle of nerves was the last drop and she spilled over the edge into her orgasm, tensing up before releasing, gripping Hermione's finger with her inner muscles and sighing out her name as she slowly came from her high._

_Flipping back onto the bed, the brunette now became aware of how frustratingly aroused she was herself. Ginny didn't need any encouraging as she crawled on top of her, pressing a smooth thigh between her legs and tangling their tongues in a fierce battle. _

_Soon, though, she moved her mouth's attention to her neck and then her earlobe, suckling, nipping and whispering sinful words, making Hermione shiver with need that was addressed with a slender finger pushing into her wet heat._

_Hermione was being driven absolutely crazy by the sensations overwhelming her body, only spurred on by Ginny's words that had gone from seductive to downright dirty. Her nerve endings felt on fire and it was becoming impossible to even form a coherent thought. She tried to find some purchase with her hands, but they merely slid down the curve of her lover's delicious body, leaving red stripes in the wake of her nails. _

_The redhead gave up on the dirty talk as Hermione managed to get a plea for release out between the unstoppable moans and instead captured her mouth in a wild, sloppy kiss that made Hermione's brain completely shut down before everything burst into white hot pleasure as she finally came._

_When she could make sense of her surroundings again, she realised she had left a bite mark on the younger girl's shoulder, but her apology was interrupted by Ginny's authoritative voice commanding her to suck her own release off her fingers, turning Hermione's oversensitive body on fire all over again._

_Before she knew it, they were at each other's mouths again like there was no tomorrow and her hand slid down Ginny's flat stomach…_

_**H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G****H&G**_

Waking up with a gasp, Hermione was sitting up in a millisecond, shocked and embarrassed to realise she was ridiculously turned on, and craving a certain redhead's assistance in taking care of the matter.


	21. Chapter 21

**What can I say? I'm a horrible person, I guess, for making you wait so long. This one just didn't want to be written, and now that it finally is, I'm not even sure I like how it turned out, but I honestly haven't the energy to rewrite it for the umpteenth time. I still think it's kinda cute though, albeit a bit clicheed. But you know what? Who cares! They get a happily ever after and it's how it's going to stay.**

* * *

><p>Ginny's eyes followed Hermione's form curiously until she disappeared through the door of her bedroom. As soon as the wood obscured the brunette from the other four occupants of the room, the atmosphere changed.<p>

A huge grin on her face, Pansy turned towards Draco and raised her eyebrow in question, asking the thing that all of them had been curious about for the last half an hour.

"Since when are you and Granger all chummy? Now don't get me wrong, I'm not judging, but I am pretty damn interested in that story..." A great big smirk bloomed on Draco's face and Ginny knew immediately she wasn't going to be fond of what he'd say next.

"Well, believe it or not, we actually bonded over our little kitten here. Turns out we're both quite fond of her, you see. Although her fondness might be of a slightly different nature than mine..."

Ginny frowned at him, but the pink blush that was already adorning her cheeks spoke a different story than her expression. She stomped down on the alarming fuzzy feelings awakening inside of her before she could dwell on them too much though, and directed a glare at her blond friend who continued speaking as if he hadn't seen her murderous look.

"I found it curious though that she didn't blush at the mere mention of Ginny's name, like this one does every times she hears hers. This, and various other information obtained through my supreme questioning techniques led me to believe that she doesn't actually even remember what happened on Halloween. I do recall her being pretty shitfaced, but that was before you two escaped to fuck like bunnies."

The redness in Ginny's cheeks only intensified at his words, but she also couldn't help but agree with him. Hermione had never been one to avoid confrontations and would have probably initiated theirs sometime this week had she retained any memory of their little tryst. But she hadn't. Somehow, the knowledge that the brunette didn't remember the intimacy they had shared sent a sharp spike of pain through Ginny's chest.

"What does it matter anyway? It was just sex, no strings attached. It's not like we promised to be each other's for life or something..."

As she spoke the words and image of Hermione in a beautiful wedding gown flashed through her mind unbidden and she wanted to hit herself on the head. What the hell was up with her anyway? Since the start of the school year, it became increasingly obvious to her that she was undoubtedly attracted to some women. It didn't mean she wanted to deal with that fact outright. If even her sorting had caused her family to practically write her off, what would then coming out do in addition? Make them pretend they never even had a daughter?

A gentle rub on the back brought her out of her musings and she noticed that Pansy had thrown a hand over her shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Ginny, you know you can talk to us about anything... There's clearly something here that's bothering you."

Three pair of eyes were gazing at her in genuine concern and she felt like crawling under a rock. "Well, it's just... I think I might... You know, like... Girls." She quickly looked up through her lashes and noticed that Blaise was trying not to chuckle. "Well, what's so funny about this, Zabini? Spit it out!" How dare he laugh at something like that!

"Look, I'm sorry, I don't mean to be offensive but, why does this come as such a big surprise to you? I suspected from the day you joined us at the Slytherin table. The mere fact that Pansy's wink was the one that got you flustered, not any of our innuendos," he smiled at Draco, "was pretty telling to me. You mustn't forget that we are, after all, the handsomest men in all of Hogwarts."

Ginny's eyeroll was so intense her eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets, but some of the tension in her body had immediately ebbed away. "Well excuse me if jumping to the conclusion that I might be gay isn't the first explanation I find." Feeling antsy, she started braiding a few strands of her hair to have a reason for not looking him in the eye. "How can you two be so cool about it?"

The redhead didn't see the nonverbal exchange, but Blaise and Draco seemed to be communicating solely with their eyes for a few seconds before the figurative talking stick was passed on to the blond. "Oh well, I guess that has something to do with our bringing up. You of course wouldn't know it, but in many of the old families, it is not considered out of the ordinary for a man to take a male lover. It is a different thing to actually openly be in a relationship, but having a male consort is considered to be nothing unusual." He smiled at Ginny, who was now listening to him attentively before continuing.

"This is why, when I first realised I liked boys quite early on, it wasn't so much of a shocker. My father, too, had a male lover for a time, so, despite the public stance on homosexuality, I wasn't so shaken. Pansy here helped me to accept me for who I am and to keep pretences for the school posing as my girlfriend. Later on, of course, this handsome man came into the picture and he was just as laid back about his sexuality as I was, so we sort of hit it off, didn't we, honey bunny?" He made a kissy face at Blaise who returned the gesture with a laugh. Even Ginny, despite feeling a bit gloomy, had to laugh at them.

They made everything seem so easy, but they were also men. Everything was easier for men. They would marry and no one would think it strange if they had lovers, whereas she couldn't do that, nor did she want to. A public relationship though, would bring backlash of epic proportions with it. She wanted to say something else, but she was interrupted by a familiar, albeit slightly shaky voice calling her name from across the room.

"Ginny, would you mind coming here a bit? I just need to ask you something." Hermione's voice came out a little strained and she was blushing all over, the redness extending below her neckline. The younger girl couldn't help but be intrigued by the sight, so she stood up and excused herself from her three companions that were all biting back grins.

"Sure, what's this about?" she asked as soon as the door was closed behind her and Hermione was back in view, standing before her and twisting her hands in her skirt, exposing some tantalising thigh that Ginny immediately tore her eyes from.

"Well, you know, I was cleaning a little and I found your mask under the bed, back from Halloween. Do you happen to remember how it came to be in my room?"

Hermione was still refusing to make eye contact, which caused Ginny's eyes to roam, leaving them to land on the bed, which brought a violent onslaught of memories with it, making the redhead almost match her hair in colour. _Should I lie or should I tell the truth? I sort of want her to know, but at the same time..._Seeing the older girl finally look up at her through her lashes, biting her lip was enough to make up Ginny's mind and she summoned some of the Gryffindor courage she used to have.

"Well," she stepped a little closer, " you more or less invited me into your bed after we," she was now so close their noses were almost touching, "got to know each other a little more... physically." She slipped her hands around Hermione's waist and pulled her a tiny bit closer, just enough for their heaving breasts to brush up against each other and for the brunette's eyes to flow wide open. She stared at her for a few more seconds like a deer caught in headlights, before something changed in her demeanour and her arms slid around her neck, her lids lowering to half mast and her teeth catching the rosy flesh of her lip once more.

"Would you mind refreshing my memory?" Ginny was so taken aback that she couldn't think of any other suitable reply but getting rid of the last few inches that separated them and pressing their lips together.

It felt amazing to be kissing Hermione again and the memories of their night flooded her mind, sending delicious tingles up and down her spine as the two continued kissing for a while. When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing in short gasps, their cheeks tinted with a rosy colour.

Hermione dissolved into giggles and Ginny couldn't help but join her, not quite comprehending the absurdity of the situation just yet. "This is so unreal," the brunette breathed out and the one hand that was not buried in the younger girl's fiery hair started stroking the side of her face gently. "I guess you remember that night very well, then? I had a complete blackout and only got the memories back now... Why didn't you say anything?"

Ginny looked at her like she was mad and laughed. "Say anything? You can't be serious! We **fucked**, multiple times, might I add. Was I just supposed to come up to you in the Great Hall one day and casually ask you if you would be interested in a repeat performance? I mean really, Hermione..."

They were both still smiling looking each other up with heated eyes when a knock sounded at the door. "You guys all right in there? Do you want some snacks?" Muted laughter could be heard and Ginny rolled her eyes disentangling her hands from Hermione's waist but catching one of her palms in hers. "As long as they are all here we won't have any privacy..."

Hermione just smiled at her in turn and squeezed her hand. "Well, let's get rid of them then... I would very much like to continue what we started," she threw her a grin and pulled her toward the door, throwing it open.

"Malfoy, let's clear this up right away. I'm okay with you bringing Zabini here every other day and going at it for hours on end. Have you ever had me knock on your door and annoy you two?" She smiled a saccharine smile at the two boys who were grinning unashamedly. "Of course I didn't, because I'm a decent person. So all I ask now is for you to let me thoroughly enjoy this gorgeous girl beside me without interruptions, okay? When we're done, she can tell you all the dirty details. Now beat it, all of you!"

With a wide smile still on her face, Hermione shut the door, locked it and cast a silencing charm on the room before throwing her wand carelessly to the floor and wrapping her hands back around Ginny's neck. "Now where were we?"

* * *

><p><strong>I had many more ideas for this fic, but it seems to me that I am just not adept enough at pouring them into words. For this reason, this story only has one more chapter to go, which will be the epilogue. I want to thank you all for going on this journey with me and I have to say that despite it being quite tiring at times, it was a wonderful experience. I couldn't have asked for nicer readers and every follow, favorite and review always served to brighten my day. So thank you all! <strong>  
><strong>I'll try to not take so long with the epilogue, but I dare not make any promises. I really hope you enjoyed this story!<strong>  
><strong>Love to you all, Bunn<strong>y


	22. Epilogue

**Without further ado, the Epilogue! AN will be posted at the end for those who actually want to read it. Love, Bunny**

* * *

><p>»Honey, I'm home! «<p>

The melodic voice of Ginevra Weasley rang right up to the study her girlfriend was holed up in, bouncing off the vibrantly painted walls of their cosy little house.

"I'm upstairs!" Hermione yelled in return, going back to the long scroll she was perusing. The thing was ancient and written by someone who had really, _really _tiny handwriting. Besides, the sheer stupidity of its contents was giving her a nasty headache.

Ginny dragged her ass up the stairs, still in full Quidditch gear, leaning through the doorframe but not stepping inside, aware of Hermione's no-Quidditch-in-my-study policy.

"Mi-o-neee, it's a _Sunday_... When will you take time for yourself if not today?" she asked in an exaggerated whiny voice. The brunette didn't even avert her gaze from the parchment as she waved her off.

"Oh, come off it, Ginny. You know just as well as I how important this one is..." she replied, not even bothering to look up from the scroll. The addressed woman sighed and turned on her heel.

"Fine, keep on doing your thing... I'm hopping into the shower and then I'll get started on the food." Stomping down the stairs back to the first floor, she threw off her gear in a huff and turned the water up to a steaming temperature before disappearing under it.

Ginny was combing out her long auburn hair, still dripping from her shower, when slender hands wrapped themselves around her middle and pulled her back flush to another soft body.

"I'm sorry, babe, you know I am, right?"

Butterfly kisses were peppered all over her exposed shoulder, trailing up to her neck. Ginny continued on like nothing was happening, only a tilt of her head to allow for better access and a soft sigh escaping her lips giving away that she didn't mind this development one bit.

"I get frustrated, you see..." Hermione continued, sliding her hands from their previous position down her lover's smooth legs, dragging back up the sensitive inner thighs with her short nails.

Ginny's answering sigh was louder this time and Hermione smiled into her skin before sucking with a bit more force and leaving a lovely little mark.

"I don't mean to vent on you, but those laws are just so, so backwards..."

Her hands slid higher again, to the hem of the towel that was wrapped about Ginny's toned body, tugging on it so it fell to the floor.

"Will you let me make it up to you?" she asked in a low, purring tone, licking the sensitive shell of her ear. It caused the redhead to shiver in delight and finally put down the comb, turning to face Hermione.

"I'm not entirely convinced yet, babe... I think it'll take some more persuasion."

Their grins were matching and Ginny hungrily pulled her girlfriend closer, merging their lips with passionate touches of skin. While she was focused on conquering her mouth, Hermione exploited her lack of focus on anything else, her hands sliding down and around to cup her firm ass, one of them slipping even lower to tease her lover's already wet heat.

That certainly got her attention and she gasped, pulling away with pure lust burning in her dark eyes.

In a few well-practiced tugs, Hermione's t-shirt landed on the floor and her sweats followed suit, leaving her standing there in nothing but her simple white cotton knickers. She, of course, didn't mind in the slightest and pushed her girlfriend out of the bathroom and into their bedroom.

Ginny landed on the bottom and that suited her girlfriend just fine, since she wanted to please her lover first anyway.

Her hot kisses travelled quickly from her mouth to her inviting breasts, giving special attention to the rosy peaks that stood at attention, sucking on them and rolling them between her teeth.

Soon enough, though, she was moving lower, dipping her tongue in Ginny's lovely little belly button and pressing her hips down with a hand on her navel as she licked the first hot stroke through her drenched lower lips.

They fell into a well-known rhythm and Ginny was fast approaching her peak, spurred on by her lover's practiced tongue and fingers, undulating her hips and begging for sweet release in gasping moans.

When she came, Hermione eagerly licked her up, making the redhead cry out at the stimulation of her hypersensitive pussy.

Before long, Ginny had regained her composure and was busy returning the favour to Hermione, teasing her sensitive g-spot with curls of her fingers and sucking on her exposed skin until she finally couldn't take it anymore.

* * *

><p>They were lying on the bed, breathing heavily and feeling extremely sated when the doorbell rang and roused them from their orgasmic haze.<p>

"Oh FUCK!"

The colourful profanity escaped Ginny's mouth, but both were certainly thinking it. Hermione was up in a split second, hurryingly tugging on her sweatpants commando style, her panties having been thrown who knew where earlier.

The T-shirt followed suit and she was already rushing down the stairs while her girlfriend had only just gotten up from the bed.

She caught a glimpse of herself in the floor-length mirror beside the front door and noted that she looked well fucked, but there was no time to fix that. She unlocked the door with an apologetic grin.

The duo standing in front of said door took one look at her and identical smirks of recognition popped up on their faces.

"I was... Um, sleeping?" she tried, but to no avail. Stepping aside to let the couple in, she bowed her head to hide her reddened cheeks, half from embarrassment, half still from her earlier activities.

"Oh honey, no one can hold it against you if you have yourself an afternoon delight every once in a while," the tall blond grinned back at her, hanging up his and his lover's coats.

Blaise suddenly raised his head and sniffed the air like some kind of dog, frowning at their hostess. "Why can't I smell your girlfriend's wonderful cooking?"

As if on cue, said girlfriend came down the stairs in all her domestic glory, sporting leggings, an old t-shirt and a low ponytail.

"Well, we got caught up in some rather engaging activities, if you know what I mean," she winked suggestively at her friend, making a rather crude gesture with two fingers and her tongue and making the dark skinned man chuckle.

"God, you're so immature," Hermione rolled her eyes at the two of them, though a smile was tugging at the corners of her lips.

"Come Draco, we should leave the kids to play," she took him by the crook of his elbow and led him into their common room. The blond situated himself comfortably on the sofa while she fetched them two wine glasses and took a bottle of white from the fridge. She held it up for him to inspect and when he consented with a nod, she poured them both a glass.

"So tell me... How did the negotiations in Korea go?" she implored as she took her seat next to him.

Tinkling laughter could be heard from the hall where Blaise had just finished telling a story from Quidditch practice.

"So you mean to tell me things like that keep happening even in the pro world?" He chuckled and gave her an incredulous look.

"Are you serious? If anything, they're even more frequent! I mean, of course you get more sore losers if they're trying out for the Tornadoes. I can understand of course, why no one would be particularly disappointed if they don't manage to sign with the Harp-"

He promptly received an elbow to the stomach from a smiling Ginny.

"So that's what the mediocre teams tell themselves..."

The doorbell rang for the second time that day then and the redhead unlocked it to let in a winded couple.

"Did you guys run here? You look awfully breathless..."

"Yes, in fact Hermione looked much the same some five minutes ago," Blaise chimed in over her shoulder looking the dark haired couple over with suspicious eyes.

Harry had the decency to blush and suddenly look very interested in their potted plant while Pansy broke out in a shit-eating grin. "I may have pounced on him when we were already almost at the door..." Ginny grinned right back at her and 'Accio'ed her a pair of slippers for her notoriously sensitive feet. "Who doesn't love a quickie, right?"

Harry, who was still fully clothed and pretending to be oblivious to their conversation, blushed even harder.

"Honestly, Potter, you're dating the biggest sex freak I know and yet you blush at the mention of a quickie?" He looked surprised for a moment, but then let a hesitant smile slip onto his face. Blaise returned the sentiment.

Ginny felt herself smile a little at the exchange too, before she finally ushered them all towards the common room.

"We're not going to stand here all day, are we? Get a move on, you old people!"

They huddled together on the sofa, calling out to Ginny what they'd like to drink as she was taking glasses down from the top shelf.

When everyone was seated, wine or beer in hand, they all took a moment to appreciate that they could take an afternoon out of their busy schedules to just hang out and have lunch together.

Then Hermione pulled a few menus from underneath the coffee table.

"What are you guys feeling, pizza or Chinese?" Naturally, they ended up ordering both, chatting jovially as they waited for the food to arrive.

Hermione shared that she thought she was finally nearing a breakthrough with the anti-gay laws, having been fighting this battle for a little over two years now. It was about time too, because she had been really close to just giving up at certain points in time. But since she had gotten promoted to head of Department for Law and Order, her words held much more weight in the Wizengamot's eyes and her ideas were slowly taking root.

Ginny's Quidditch career was truly blossoming; the Holyhead Harpies were currently right at the top of the ladder, although Blaise's Tutshill Tornados were dangerously close behind. Despite being direct competition to each other since they were both chasers, the two remained besties who constantly made fun of and insulted each other for every little mistake they committed on the field.

Pansy had gone on to become one of the more renowned journalists for The Daily Prophet and wrote most of her articles right for the front page. When Harry had been promoted to Head Auror, she interviewed him and against all odds, the two hit it off. Their relationship was still pretty new, but despite all their differences, they somehow felt right together. When Pansy had first announced their dating no-one was more shocked than Hermione and Ginny, but as they started reconnecting with him, they realised the man had grown up and matured.

Draco was the one they all saw the least of (except for Blaise, that is). He was venturing into different parts of Asia and brokering deals with local companies, the endgame being the eventual expansion of Malfoy Incorporated to foreign markets. So far, he had been quite successful, but his most known action that had reverberated quite heavily in the media was his withdrawal of Malfoy Inc.'s funding from some of its sketchier and morally questionable projects.

As each took turns in getting others updated on the status of their lives, Hermione went to open the door and pay the delivery man, reaping a round of loud cheering from the hungry company. Blaise immediately threw himself at the pizza and olive rolled off his slice and landed on the plush carpet, leaving a bright orange stain.

"You're cleaning that, Blaise. Otherwise I'll take special care to drop my food on the floor when it's your turn to host," Hermione smiled at him and then picked up a slice for herself, humming in enjoyment as she tasted the first bite.

* * *

><p><strong>Annnnd... That brings OTLWGS officially to an end! It's been great year(let's not get into the particular details) and I am both glad and a little sad that this is finally finished! <strong>

**For me, this was a unique experience and I honestly couldn't have asked for a better one. Sure, writing is fun in itself, but what really makes it worthwile is the positive encouragement and responses that I get from you, the readers. **

**As far as the story goes, I will not be writing a sequel or anything like that, sorry if that disappoints anyone. **

**I actually have surprisingly little to say, so this is it from me! Thank you for this journey, and review one last time, if you will! I'd love to hear what you all thought about my story as a whole.**

**Lots of love, Bunny**


End file.
